Online Dangers – Cyber Bullying and Cyber Stalking
Cyber Bullying and Cyber Stalking
The potential perils of the Internet for children and teens aren’t limited to identify thieves and sexual predators. Cyber bullying and cyber stalking also pose very real threats as more children use technology to connect, communicate and socialize.
The National Crime Prevention Center estimated that 43 percent of children have experienced cyber bullying. This act involves the use of social media, email, cellphone photos, text messages or instant messages to harassing, embarrass, intimidate or bully children. The perpetrators in these cases are generally other children or teens. This fact has given rise to many schools across the country creating policies and pledges meant to address the issue. Cyber bullying is even considered a crime in some areas. As the death of Megan Meier showed, cyber bullying may take place in the online world, but it can have very real and tragic consequences in the online world.
To protect against cyber bullying, parents should discuss the topic with their children take the time to monitor their messages and online activity. It is also important for parents to make sure their children don’t engage in this activity and that they don’t become bystanders to the act by passing along cruel messages they are sent about others.
Should cyber bullying be detected, parents or kids should create a record of the conversation. This can be done by hitting the “Print Screen” key on a computer keyboard and copying the message into a word processing program file. Should the detected bullying be persistent or especially troublesome, contact school officials and/or law enforcement to determine options for addressing it more head on.
Cyber stalking is related to cyber bullying. This act involves using the Internet to keep tabs on and essentially “stalk” someone in the online world like one might in the offline world.
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1 in 12 American women will become victims of stalking at some points in their lives. For some, the stalking will take place online or both online and off.
Talk about cyber stalking with children and help kids learn how to defend themselves. Stalkers, for example, may go beyond keeping tabs on their victims by hijacking email or social media accounts, sending hateful messages to victims’ friends, engaging in identity theft or seeking to damage a person’s reputation.
Cyber stalking is a serious issue that should be reported to local law enforcement, web site hots and Internet service providers. As it is with cyber bullying, creating evidence files by copying screenshots can also prove useful.
Cyber bullying and cyber stalking are very real concerns parents should address with their children. When these issues arise, they should be taken quite seriously and action, such as enlisting the help of school personnel or law enforcement, should be taken. Running online protection programs may help ward off cyber stalkers, but close parental monitoring is often the best defence against bullying.