Revealing the Hidden Consequences of Online Harassment: Proven Tactics to Combat Cyberbullying Effectively

Bullying has been an age-old problem. It is especially a significant issue among kids and teens. The progress in technology did not stop the problem of bullying. It evolves along with growth in technology. Social media becomes the new platform for both connecting with friends and bullying. Cyberbullying is harder than ever to control. The power of anonymity makes it difficult to monitor and stop cyberbullying attacks.

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What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is a type of harassment that happens through electronic means. Social media, emails, and even websites can serve as platforms for cyberbullying. Moreover, bullies take advantage of the victims’ vulnerability. It may include perceived flaws or intimate information.

McAfee’s 2014 survey shows that nearly 87% of kids and teens witnessed an act of cyberbullying . Sadly, 24% of youth report that they do not know what to do in the event of being harassed or bullied online.

Classic causes of bullying still exist such as appearance, race, religion, and sexuality. However, other reasons arise in research about cyberbullying. The McAfee study reports that 50% of respondents were involved in an argument because of something they posted online. The tendency of the youth to overshare makes them very vulnerable.

Only 61% of youth have their privacy protection enabled in their social media accounts. Moreover, 52% do not turn off their location services on mobile devices. Fourteen percent even post their home addresses online. Children are also less likely to have their parents within their online circle of connections.

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Types of Cyberbullying

There are countless types of cyberbullying. Children receive threats online all the time.

Online Bashing

One of the most common forms of cyberbullying is bashing. It often happens in message boards, posts, threads, and messaging apps. Teens often use these platforms to chat and discuss their school lives.

Conversations and discussions can turn ugly fast. Offline harassment can spill over online. A group of bullies may target a vulnerable victim.

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Gossiping

The rapid exchange of information online can quickly lead to gossiping. False information can pass from one person to another. Bullies may use perceived flaws to humiliate the victim further. They may even create pages or groups to spread gossip also. It isolates the victim from his or her peers. Isolation can rapidly cause depression and anxiety.

Exposure

Kids and teens also reveal a bit too much online. They pass personal and intimate information without much thought about privacy. Bullies will then use this to threaten the victim. Photos or videos which may be damaging to the victim’s reputation can spread. It may even affect the victim’s future such as academic opportunities and job potential.

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Types of Cyberbullies

Not all bullies of the victims are within their age group. Bullies vary in background and intention. Children open themselves to be victims due to their online engagement.

School Bullies

More often than not, bullies are from the same school of the victims. A study by Duke University shows that 90% of teens who are the victim of cyberbullying, also experience harassment offline. Bullies often create fake personas to hide behind anonymity.

Some cyberbullies may attack in groups. It involves shaming or humiliation, threats, and blackmailing. Bullying may not even happen in public threads. Messaging apps are typical tools bullies use against their victims.

Cybercriminals

More insidious types of bullies are cybercriminals who aim to make a profit or even hurt their victims. They often lurk in web chat apps, dating sites, and websites where strangers connect. Cybercriminals make an effort to get close to their victims and earn trust. They are looking for leverage which they can use as blackmail.

Revealing intimate photos and videos are often used to scare victims. Criminals will threaten to release the pictures and videos to the victims’ family and friends. They will often ask for payment. One such case is of Daniel Perry. The Scottish teen took his own life after being blackmailed on Skype .

Effects of Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying, and bullying, in general, have short-term and lasting effects on both the victim and the bully. Identifying impacts, in the beginning, may be tough. However, children often show signs depending on the severity of the cyberbullying.

Academic Effects

Children who are being bullied often show first signs of their overall academic performance. There is a noticeable decrease in academic achievements. This effect shows in both GPA and standardized test scores. It is due to missing periods, skipping classes, or worse, dropping out of school.

Cyberbullying worsens the academic effects of bullying. Children and teens are known to use and various social media. In the past, they can escape attacks after school. However, social media encompasses most of their day. Dealing with cyberbullying affects their concentration and habits.

Physical and Mental Health

Children’s mental and physical health is affected along with academic performance. Anxiety and depression are common effects of constant stress. Additionally, the increased feelings of sadness and loneliness further affect a child’s health.

Physical health also suffers along with mental conditions. Parents often notice considerable changes in their child’s sleeping and eating habits. There is also a lack of interest in activities they used to enjoy.

Mental and physical effects can have long-lasting effects. Researchers found that the victim children of cyberbullying have a high risk for depression as a young adult. It also increases depressive issues later in life.

Extreme Effects

Suicide is one of the leading cause of death among young people. There are about 4,000 deaths per year caused by suicide according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moreover, bully victims are two to nine times more like to consider suicide than non-victims. Studies conducted by researchers at Yale School of Medicine found correlations between bullying and suicide in children.

Being bullied and bullying also affects teen behavior towards alcoholism and drug use. Additionally, it can result in delinquent acts. It may include vandalism, abusive behavior, and even criminal activities.

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Protect your Kids from Cyberbullying

Protecting your child against cyberbullying becomes a necessity nowadays. The effects are worsening. The pervasiveness of technology also means it is harder to escape.

Constant communication is a critical element in protecting your child. They should be able to express themselves without fear or embarrassment freely. It will be challenging as only 1 in 10 children confides with their parents. However, the willingness of a child to open up to you makes it easy to see possible signs of bullying.

Educating your child is also important. Technology is complicated to manage even for adults. Teach them how to protect themselves. It includes an understanding of privacy, security, and possible threats.

Privacy and Passwords

Encourage your children to employ strong passwords in their online accounts. Their privacy should be one of their top concerns. Teach them how to create a secure password. You can even enable two-factor authentication.Hacking one’s social media can open your child to cyberbullying.

Additionally, educate them about clean online habits. Log-out of any online accounts when not in use. Encourage empathy and logic when posting on social media. Make them understand that their actions have significant effects on others.

Turn On Parental Controls

Most modern operating systems come with parental controls. Parents can easily monitor their kid’s activities in Windows 10. Even Xbox One has parental controls.

The earlier you catch signs of cyberbullying, the easier it is to stop. Tools, like Bark, even allow monitoring of texts, emails, and social media networks. It alerts parents of potentially harmful content or messages in their children’s online activities.

Look for Signs

Be on the lookout for any significant changes in your child. Signs are typically not as noticeable. It is more difficult to spot if you don’t have open communication with your child. The effects described above often show when the bullying gets worse.

It is essential to gather information if you suspect cyberbullying. You should report instances to the school. It is also possible to get the authorities’ attention depending on the severity.

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Final Thoughts

Technology brings both innovation and responsibility. It is mostly a neutral entity which has the potential to be good or evil. As such, threats like cyberbullying continues without proper attention. It is essential to be sensitive to your child’s needs both offline and online.

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