The Herald spoke to Yolandé Bosman, a social worker at Laerskool Randfontein to find out more about the social ill of cyberbullying.
An online self-harm challenge has lately been causing great concern among parents worldwide. According to Yolandé, the main reason for children and teenagers being susceptible to this form of bullying is that they are still developing emotionally and are often unable to identify dangerous situations.
“The problem with children and teenagers having smartphones and tablets is that they also have access to the internet and social media where they become prone to being bullied.”
Cyberbullying can come in the form of any comment that hurts the victims’ self-esteem and belittles things that are important to them.
Parents play a major role in helping the victim as well as the bully.
“It’s important for children and teenagers to know that their parents are on their side and that they only want what is best for them, no matter the situation. Children should never feel alone or that they cannot trust anyone. If the parents of a victim or a bully feel they don’t have the appropriate tools to help their child, they should get professional help.”
She said that it’s important for parents to help their children to put the whole situation into perspective. Children and teenagers who get bullied on the internet may believe that their whole world is falling apart. They need someone to remind them that with support and time it will only be a distant memory and that things will eventually be better.
“Minors should have restricted access to the internet and social media. Parents should check their children’s social media profiles regularly and remind them to only accept friend requests from people in their immediate circle and to think twice before they post because once it’s on the internet, it will be there forever,” she said.
Yolandé said that a good relationship between children and their parents is the best way to overcome and avoid social ills like cyberbullying because children need to know that they can discuss everything with their parents.
Watch the video below. The interviewee preferred to speak Afrikaans.
