What Is Cyberbullying and How to Prevent It?

2024-01-31

Do you know any cyberbullying statistics? Research of Bright Path shows that 77,5% of cyberbullying victims suffered from mean and hurtful online comments. Meanwhile, this rate is constantly increasing. As cyberbullying becomes more widespread, it’s crucial to take preventive measures. One effective approach is using phone tracking tools with social media monitoring features. In this article, we’ll explore what cyberbullying is, its impact on victims, and the best ways to prevent it.

What Is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is a form of harassment that takes place online, involving the use of the Internet, social media, text messages, gaming platforms. These platforms are used to threaten, embarrass, or harm someone. Unlike offline bullying, a cyber one can occur 24/7, cover a wider audience instantly, and remain anonymous.

The rise of digital communication has led to the emergence of various forms of cyberbullying. Receiving repeated offensive, rude, or insulting messages is a clear sign of online harassment. According to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 49% of 15–17-year-olds, and 42% of those ages 13–14, reported being threatened or harassed, or receiving explicit images that they did not request.

Posting aggressive or angry messages in online discussions is known as flaming. There are other cyberbullying forms:

• Doxxing: Sharing someone’s personal information (such as addresses, phone numbers, or photos) online to harm them.
• Impersonation (catfishing): Creating fake profiles to deceive or manipulate others.
• Outing and Trickery: Sharing personal or embarrassing information about someone without their consent.
• Cyberstalking: Persistent online threats and intimidation, sometimes escalating to real-life harm.
• Exclusion: Deliberately leaving someone out of online groups or conversations.
• Trolling: Posting provocative or inflammatory comments to upset others.

If you find yourself in one of the described situations, seek help from a trusted adult or parent to stop cyberbullying.

Warning Signs of the Victim of Cyberbullying

Parents should pay close attention to their children to notice any behavioral, serious emotional, psychological, and social changes. However, since it occurs online, it can be difficult for parents, teachers, or friends to detect. But if you find the following signs in your kid, he may be a victim of cyberbullying

Category	Warning signs
Emotional & behavioral changes	Sudden mood swings, increased anxiety, depression, avoiding social interactions, loss of interest in hobbies.
Changes in online & device usage	Spending less time on social media, nervousness when receiving messages, blocking contacts frequently, secretive online behavior.
Academic & performance issues	Drop in school performance, skipping classes, loss of focus on assignments, reduced interest in extracurricular activities.
Physical symptoms & distress	Changes in eating or sleeping habits, frequent headaches or stomach aches, self-harm or suicidal thoughts.
Social withdrawal & isolation	Avoiding social meetings, reluctance to talk about friends, sudden changes in friendships, preferring to be alone.

This table shows the effects of cyberbullying on children and signs it proves to be. Be curious about your kids’ online lives to prevent their psychological trauma.

How Can Parents Help?

Cyberbullying is a stressful experience for children and parents should take every effort to prevent and address it. Parents can help children by staying informed, communicating openly, and implementing proactive measures.

First of all, parents should build an open conversation with the child by encouraging honesty, discussing online behavior, and recognizing their behavior. The second step is to educate children about cyberbullying. Encourage children to ignore, block, and report bullies instead of engaging with them.

Parents should set clear online boundaries and limit them if something suspicious takes place. Besides, parents may implement parental monitoring tools, including Phone Tracker for Android. Get the reports of kids’ online activities and activate child-friendly filters on devices to prevent exposure to harmful content.

Phone Trackers - An Effective Parental Control Preventive Solution

A phone tracker is designed as an effective parental control software. It helps parents work out preventive measures to protect kids from online dangers. Cyberbullying is an ongoing issue, which is why parents should know how to use a phone tracker for cyberbullying protection.

How monitoring apps prevent cyberbullying? First of all, it grants parents an opportunity to get access to incoming and outgoing texts inside various social media like WhatsApp, Instagram, Discord, Facebook, Telegram, Skype, Tinder, etc.

Nobody can predict when and in what social media your kid may be cyberbullied, parents should be ready for every potentially dangerous social media. Regular monitoring of kids’ online activities is the main step done to protect your child. Besides, the reports are not limited to texts’ files only but also contain location, photo gallery, and web history tracking data. Keep your kids mentally safe with these instruments.

Among benefits, we distinguish the following:

• Early detection of cyberbullying
• Social media and messaging app monitoring
• Prevent anonymous harassment
• Real-time alerts and notifications
• Encourages healthy digital habits
• Provides location tracking for safety
• Helps gather evidence against bullies
• Prevents access to harmful content
• Helps in blocking and reporting cyberbullies

While phone trackers cannot replace active parental supervision, they are valuable tools for detecting, preventing, and responding to cyberbullying. When used reasonably and openly, they help create a safer online environment for children, allowing parents to protect their well-being while maintaining trust.

10 Tips to Protect Your Child from Cyberbullying

By drawing up the right plan, you can protect your child from cyberbullying. Generally, the plan may include the following steps or tips:

• Set healthy online boundaries: Introduce rules for screen time, app usage, and online interactions to ensure a safe digital environment.
• Build an open communication channel for your child: Boost your kids’ desire to talk openly about their online activities
• Be open to learning along with your kids: Stay informed about new apps, social media trends, and online risks to guide your child effectively.
• Speak more about the effects of cyberbullying for mental health: Describe what the effects can be on cyberbullying on kids’ mental health.
• Monitor behavioral changes: Be attentive to your child’s mood swings
• Be aware of how much time your child is spending online: Track screen time to prevent excessive exposure to negative digital interactions.
• Avoid being accusatory; instead, be friendly: To prevent your child’s interactions with online “strangers”, be close friends with your kids.
• Find the time to talk with your child: Regular conversations build trust and help you stay updated on your child's digital life.
• Ask about their interests and worries: Show genuine interest in what they enjoy online and any concerns they may have.
• Be future-oriented: Look at the potential future issues being caused by a cyberbullying attack.

Wrapping Up

Cyberbullying is a growing issue, impacting children's mental health and online safety. Parents play a key role in prevention by recognizing warning signs, maintaining open communication, and setting healthy digital boundaries.

Phone trackers with social media monitoring help detect threats early, but parental guidance remains the most effective solution. By staying involved and proactive, parents can protect their children and create a safer digital space.