Cyber bullying has become a huge problem for school children in recent years as so much of our interaction has moved onto social networks such as Facebook.
According to The Irish Sun, internet safety expert Simon Grehan revealed that although face to face bullying is more prominent in Irish schools, cyber bullying is more intense because it can “go from zero to very serious quite quickly because it is very difficult to patrol.”
Cyber bullying is sometimes more difficult for children to deal with, particularly because it happens in the home, in the evening and on private devices such as laptops and phones which makes it more difficult for parents to tackle.
Cyber bullying is often more intense than face to face harrassment
However, Mr Grehan said that parents should take a proactive approach to monitoring their child’s social networking accounts.
“Talk to your kids about their social networking and general online habits. Make sure you know what they are doing. You might be surprised what you find out.
“Tell your children that if they do get an abusive message they should immediately tell somebody they trust and most importantly they should not react.
“When a bully gets no reaction they often lose interest,” he said.
Mr Grehan said that parents should be prepared that their child might not be the victim in a bullying situation.
“Remember that your child isn’t always going to be the victim – it can be shocking but one or two retaliations to a post on Facebook and your child can become the bully.”
Mr Grehan advised parents to keep a record of the abusive messages sent to their child.
“If your child is getting bullied online, keep a record of exactly what is happening and save the messages. Block the sender and report the issue,” he finished.
Check out Her.ie’s internet safety guide to stay on patrol for cyber bullying.
