Tips to Address Cyberbullying
2021-10-27
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1Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to threaten or insult someone.
2Concern over cyberbullying has been at the center of recent criticism directed at social media companies.
3Last month, Facebook delayed the development of its child version of Instagram after opposition from American lawmakers and safety advocacy organizations.
4More than 40 state attorneys general wrote a letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg urging him to stop the release of the project.
5Social media can be "detrimental to the health and well-being of children," and kids' Instagram could make cyberbullying worse, the letter said.
6Facebook's own data showed that Instagram can be harmful to teens' mental health, especially girls.
7The information was first reported by The Wall Street Journal last September.
8Cyberbullying also appears to be worse among girls, says a 2019 survey by the National Center for Education Statistics.
9While 20.4 percent of students bullied online were girls, 10.9 percent were boys.
10Of the 22 percent of all kids ages 12 to 18 that were bullied during the school year, 16 percent of students said they were bullied electronically.
11A study by the organization Common Sense Media in 2019 found that teenagers use an average of 7 hours, 22 minutes of entertainment media a day.
12And that does not include time using media for school.
13Pew Research said the amount of time that children spent online also increased during the pandemic.
14With more time online comes a higher risk of exposure to cyberbullying.
15Cyberbullying can make feelings of depression worse and negatively impact mental health.
16Common Sense found that 38 percent of teens and young adults were depressed in 2020, up from 25 percent two years before.
17Higher levels of depression also were connected to higher levels of social media use.
18Almost all young people use some form of social media but may not know the risks they face online.
19October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month.
20Using free resources from StopBullying.gov and Common Sense Education,
21here are ways adults can help children deal with cyberbullying:
22A child can be involved in cyberbullying in different ways.
23They can bully, be bullied, or witness the bullying of others.
24The more digital forms of communication a child uses, the more exposure he or she may get to cyberbullying.
25Parents, teachers and other adults need to be aware of children's online usage.
26Some warning signs that a child may be involved in cyberbullying are:
27Spending much more or less time on electronic devices, including texting
28Hiding their screen when others are near, and avoiding discussion about what they are doing on their device
29Closing social media accounts and opening new ones
30Avoiding social situations, even ones that were enjoyed in the past
31Becoming depressed, or losing interest in people and activities
32Cyberbullying is like other forms of bullying and should be handled in a similar way.
33If a child is being cyberbullied, adults should support the child being bullied and address the behavior of the child doing the bullying.
34Adults should show children that cyberbullying is something serious that should be stopped.
35If a child sees hateful content online, there are a few easy ways they can deal with it.
36The child could report the content anonymously, as hateful speech violates most websites' terms of service.
37They can also block the person from posting abusive content.
38While ignoring posts might seem easier than blocking someone, it will not make the problem go away.
39Adults can try to make their kids feel more empathy towards others and consider how other people feel.
40They should see whether more help is needed for those involved, like speaking to a guidance counselor or mental health professional.
41Cyberbullying may be impossible to stop completely, but parents could watch their child's behavior and internet time.
42France has taken stronger measures against cyberbullying.
43In January, the country created a special court to try online crimes, including harassment and bullying.
44Eleven people were convicted this summer of using the internet to harass a teenage girl, including sending her death threats.
45I'm Dan Novak.
1Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to threaten or insult someone. Concern over cyberbullying has been at the center of recent criticism directed at social media companies. 2Last month, Facebook delayed the development of its child version of Instagram after opposition from American lawmakers and safety advocacy organizations. 3More than 40 state attorneys general wrote a letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg urging him to stop the release of the project. Social media can be "detrimental to the health and well-being of children," and kids' Instagram could make cyberbullying worse, the letter said. 4Facebook's own data showed that Instagram can be harmful to teens' mental health, especially girls. The information was first reported by The Wall Street Journal last September. 5Cyberbullying also appears to be worse among girls, says a 2019 survey by the National Center for Education Statistics. While 20.4 percent of students bullied online were girls, 10.9 percent were boys. Of the 22 percent of all kids ages 12 to 18 that were bullied during the school year, 16 percent of students said they were bullied electronically. 6A study by the organization Common Sense Media in 2019 found that teenagers use an average of 7 hours, 22 minutes of entertainment media a day. And that does not include time using media for school. Pew Research said the amount of time that children spent online also increased during the pandemic. 7With more time online comes a higher risk of exposure to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can make feelings of depression worse and negatively impact mental health. Common Sense found that 38 percent of teens and young adults were depressed in 2020, up from 25 percent two years before. Higher levels of depression also were connected to higher levels of social media use. 8Almost all young people use some form of social media but may not know the risks they face online. 9October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Using free resources from StopBullying.gov and Common Sense Education, here are ways adults can help children deal with cyberbullying: 10Know the warning signs of cyberbullying 11A child can be involved in cyberbullying in different ways. They can bully, be bullied, or witness the bullying of others. The more digital forms of communication a child uses, the more exposure he or she may get to cyberbullying. Parents, teachers and other adults need to be aware of children's online usage. 12Some warning signs that a child may be involved in cyberbullying are: 13Spending much more or less time on electronic devices, including texting 14Hiding their screen when others are near, and avoiding discussion about what they are doing on their device 15Closing social media accounts and opening new ones 16Avoiding social situations, even ones that were enjoyed in the past 17Becoming depressed, or losing interest in people and activities 18How to address cyberbullying 19Cyberbullying is like other forms of bullying and should be handled in a similar way. If a child is being cyberbullied, adults should support the child being bullied and address the behavior of the child doing the bullying. Adults should show children that cyberbullying is something serious that should be stopped. 20If a child sees hateful content online, there are a few easy ways they can deal with it. The child could report the content anonymously, as hateful speech violates most websites' terms of service. They can also block the person from posting abusive content. While ignoring posts might seem easier than blocking someone, it will not make the problem go away. 21Adults can try to make their kids feel more empathy towards others and consider how other people feel. They should see whether more help is needed for those involved, like speaking to a guidance counselor or mental health professional. 22Cyberbullying may be impossible to stop completely, but parents could watch their child's behavior and internet time. 23France has taken stronger measures against cyberbullying. In January, the country created a special court to try online crimes, including harassment and bullying. Eleven people were convicted this summer of using the internet to harass a teenage girl, including sending her death threats. 24I'm Dan Novak. 25Dan Novak wrote this story with additional information from The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Common Sense Organization. Hai Do was the editor. 26__________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28advocacy - n. the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal : the act or process of advocating something 29detrimental - adj. causing damage or injury 30kid- n. a young person 31bully - n. someone who frightens, hurts, or threatens smaller or weaker people 32exposure - n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something 33anonymous - adj. not named or identified 34empathy - n. the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions 35harass - v. to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way