Protect your child from cyber-bullying
According to CSIR, Instagram accounts for 42% of bullying that occurs online, while Facebook accounts for 37%, 31% occurs on Snapchat, 12% on WhatsApp, 10% on YouTube and 9% on Twitter.
ABOUT 41% of children develop social anxiety, 37% develop depression and 26% have suicidal thoughts as a result of bullying.
This is according to research conducted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on the negative effects of cyber-bullying.
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The research further states that 25% engage in self-harm, 24% stop using social media altogether, 20% start skipping classes, 14% develop eating disorders while 9% begin to abuse alcohol and drugs.
CSIR senior researcher, Sipho Ngobeni said part of the problem is that many people still do not see the harm associated with cyber-bullying and parents are also often oblivious to their children’s behaviour online.
‘In addition, educators do not know when and how to intervene in online behaviours that occur away from school, but still involve their learners.
Law enforcement is often also hesitant to get involved, unless there is clear evidence,’ said Ngobeni. According to CSIR, Instagram accounts for 42% of bullying that occurs online, while Facebook accounts for 37%, 31% occurs on Snapchat, 12% on WhatsApp, 10% on YouTube and 9% on Twitter.
‘Getting everyone involved – youth, parents, educators, counsellors, youth leaders, law enforcement, social media companies, and the community – is the key to dealing with this problem,’ said Ngobeni.
How to protect children from Cyberbullying
‘We need to educate children that all forms of cyber-bullying are wrong and can lead to serious discipline,’ said Researcher Rofhiwa Netshiya.
Netshiya advised parents to install internet monitoring software on their children’s computers, to be able to track their activities on social media.
‘There are low-cost products that can invisibly monitor the activities of your kids, and privately email you the results as often as you like.’
Parents are also advised to educate their children about appropriate online behaviour, such as the use of account privacy settings, reporting the matter to the police and providing unconditional support to their children should they experience cyber-bullying.
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