What Action Can You Take If Your Child Is A Victim of Cyber Bullying
What Action Can You Take If Your Child Is A Victim of Cyber Bullying?
Cyberbullying is one of the modern problems that not only children but even adults face nowadays. What makes cyberbullying difficult to handle is the fact that it has no technical definition and is a subjective phenomenon. It means that your child may be a victim of cyberbullying without even knowing he/she is being bullied. As a parent, you could still do a lot to help your child against cyberbullying.
Important Steps to Take
Noticing Withdrawal Symptoms
It is difficult for children to express their feelings and most of them don't call out for help. Thus, you need to make sure your child doesn't have any withdrawal symptoms. Some common symptoms include losing sleep, not wanting to go to school, and getting frustrated while using the internet. Also look out for any behavioral changes that seem to be unusual.
Empathizing with Your Child
In most cases of cyberbullying, all the victim requires is a little attention from someone. You need to be there for your child and listen to his/her experiences and help them gain their self-respect back. You can also share some problems you faced in your life to help your child open up.
Responding Calmly
With office work to attend and other matters at hand, parents usually look for a quick solution and end up making the situation a lot worse. You should remain patient and ensure your child is completely free of bullying by identifying the bully and taking suitable actions. Scolding or blaming your own child for getting bullied is the worst action that must be avoided.
Support, Don't Lead
You would want to take the matter into your own hands to protect your child, but you should only play a supporter in the entire recovery. This would be of great help to your child, who would learn to tackle bullying with your help and eventually manage to become self-reliant.
Restoring Self-Respect
Your ultimate goal should be helping your child regain the lost self-respect. You should focus on the well-being of your own child rather than focusing on getting the bully punished harshly. Remember that even though the bully has acted rudely, he/she is still a child.
Is Reacting to Cyber Bullying Important?
Yes, it is. Many parents ignore cyberbullying, considering it as a negligible matter. Doing so can have severe effects on your child as he/she may remain vulnerable to breakdowns in the future. Loneliness, mental illness, and suicidal ideation are also some effects that arise due to cyberbullying. Therefore, as a parent, it is your duty to ensure your child's safety against cyberbullying.
Do you wish to know if your child is being cyberbullied? It is a good option to install a mobile tracker for the same. Phone Tracker can help you monitor your child’s activities, and is one of the most popular mobile tracker free apps for parents all over.