Social media lends to an increase in cyberbullying

This was according to Denise Robinson, DA Shadow Minister of Women in the Presidency, who said that “social media is becoming the new schoolyard for bullies”.

Speaking in Parliament during the 16 days of activism against violence and abuse of women’s rights debate, Robinson appealed to parents to be vigilant and to try build good relationships with their children.

This would contribute towards ensuring that parents were aware of the new dangers of people preying on their children.

According to Robinson, parents generally remained oblivious to cyberbullying with only 10 percent of parents being aware that their teenagers were targets of this behaviour.

Teens claimed that 92.6 percent of cruel behaviour took place on Facebook, 23.8 percent on twitter, 17.7 percent on MySpace and 15.2 percent on instant messenger, she said.

A quarter of teens claimed to be targets of cyberbullying and two out of three teens had witnessed cruel behaviour online, she added.

When being bullied, 65.8 percent of teens responded to the bully, 15.4 percent avoided school and 4.5 percent had been in a physical fight with their bully.

According to the police’s website, there are several ways of dealing with cyberbullying.

•  Do not respond to a bully – a reaction is usually exactly what the bully wants.
•  Do not retaliate – responding with similar threats reinforces the bully’s behaviour.
•  Save the evidence – online messages can usually be captured, saved and shown to someone who can help.
•  Block the bully by using preferences or privacy tools. If it happens while you are chatting, leave the chat room and report any abusive comments to the website administrators.
•  Seek help by talking to a friend or an adult that you trust.

The police advised parents to be aware of the signs of cyberbullying as victims were often reluctant to divulge that they were being bullied.

A child could be a victim of bullying if he/she:

•  Becomes sad, angry or distressed during or after using the internet or a cellular phone.
•  Appears anxious when receiving a text, email or has been on social media websites.
•  Avoids discussions or is secretive about computer or cellular phone activities.
•  Withdraws from family, friends or activities they previously enjoyed.
•  Refuses to go to school or to specific classes, or avoids group activities.

Parents could prevent cyberbullying by teaching their children to:

Block communication with cyber bullies.

•  Never post or share personal information online including their full name, address, telephone number, their school name, parents’ names, credit card number(s) or their friends’ personal information.
•  Never share their internet passwords with anyone.
•  Avoid putting anything that they would not want their peers to see online.
•  Avoid sending messages when they are angry or upset.
•  Always be as polite online as they are in person.