Overcoming Cyberbullying

Overcoming Cyberbullying

For those people who cannot take the insults or bad language that is directed to them online, it is recommended just to stop reading and providing a reaction that the bully wants to evoke. Also, one can use an array of tools that social media offer to report negative language and block users; most forums and social platforms provide such possibilities. It is crucial to remember that online hate is reinforced by the fact that there is no physical interaction taking place – a bully is hidden behind his or her computer screen and thus feels safe to type whatever he or she wants. Therefore, a victim of online bullying is a victim by choice that prefers to read the insulting comments and take them personally instead of ignoring or blocking them.

It is important to mention that all studies included in the annotated bibliography only investigated the influence of cyberbullying on children, which suggests that adults are far less prone to become victims of online “abuse.” Several reasons may explain why this occurs. First, younger people are more inclined to insulting each other. Second, teenagers and children are far more likely to give an emotional response to verbal abuse; emotional maturity comes with age, which makes adults less vulnerable to insults that can cause depression in children or teenagers.

Because children react emotionally to insults that are said about them online, it is suggested that they do not use the Internet without adults’ supervision. Parents should understand that the online world is not only games but also a place filled with negativity that can affect their children.

To conclude, the problem lies in not young people being angry at each other and writing insulting messages but in poor parenting and the lack of understanding of what children can find online, who they speak to, and what websites they use. In many cases, a person has to be at least sixteen years old to use the majority of social media platforms; thus, many children or teenagers break the Terms of Use by using some website, about which their parents have no idea. Also, there is a variety of methods to secure the usage of social media. For example, Facebook allows users to blacklist certain people from reading and responding to posts, ensure that only friends can read updates, and so on. To ensure that cyberbullying does not affect their children, parents should be educated on the available security options.

References

Stop Bullying. (2017). Facts about bullying. Web.