Cyberbullying Prevention: 8 Keys To Prevent Harassment From Occurring
Violence in the school context has received greater attention in recent years and, consequently, has gained visibility over recent years.
Cyberbullying is one of the variants of violence between children and adolescents that has been the focus of late; This is a variant of harassment through social networks, the number of cases of which has been increasing due to the rise of these digital media in the last decade.
This is why it has been of great importance to develop a plan to prevent these forms of violence suffered by many children and adolescents, in order to raise awareness among the population and avoid as many situations of this nature as possible. . In this article we will focus on it, through a review of the fundamental pillars of cyberbullying prevention
“Cyberbullying” and “cyberharassment” are two terms used to define a form of violence that consists of harass, threaten or even try to humiliate another person, in this case a child or adolescent, through digital media such as social networks, online video games or other types of digital media, the harasser usually being a classmate from the same school as the victim.
Save the Children carried out a study in Spain in 2019, surveying 400 young people around the country, obtaining the astonishing figure that More than 75% had suffered some type of online violence throughout their childhood and 47% suffered more than one type of violence.
There are many ways to carry out cyberbullying; Some of the most common are the following:
Taking this into account, in the next section we will see a prevention plan against cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying prevention plan
When creating a prevention plan against cyberbullying, it must be communicated to the people to whom it is directed, such as children and adolescents, their parents, as well as teachers and other members who work at the center. teacher that children go to, that cyberbullying is no joke and, therefore,It is a form of violence that violates the rights of the youngest, so it should not be tolerated under any circumstances
It is important to highlight that in Spain, after the latest advances that have been made in recent years, bullying or school bullying in all its forms has already been recognized as a form of violence. However, there is still a need to advance further in this field and use more forceful measures, as well as influence more on prevention plans that raise awareness among the entire population and, above all, the target population (children and adolescents) in order for them to be more respectful towards their peers and stop carrying out these violent practices against others.
Below are some points to keep in mind in order to prevent cyberbullying.
1. Bullying among young people does not only occur at school
When talking about bullying, we must keep in mind that this does not only occur in the school context, although it could be the place of origin of the attacks given that it is the main social environment in which the youngest people gather.
However, with the notable growth in the use of new technologies among young people, new modus operandi have emerged to harass all types of minors inside and outside of school.
2. The rights of victims and also aggressors must be guaranteed
It is very important to keep in mind that in cases of violence between children and adolescents, both are minors. Your rights must be respected and fully guaranteed in accordance with the legislation.
Therefore, in any case of harassment or cyberbullying, this principle must be kept in mind when taking action. This means that The confidentiality of the case must be respected so as not to expose any of the minors to situations that could be harmful to both
A way must be found to resolve the matter in a conciliatory manner and always from an educational and socializing perspective so that both the victim and the aggressor, who are children after all, become aware of the seriousness of the matter and Learn that this should not be repeated so that the victim does not apply it to others as a way of defending himself, nor does the aggressor assume the role of bully, thus perpetuating this way of behaving with other people.
3. When taking measures against cyberbullying and bullying, it is essential that children participate
At the time of carrying out any cyberbullying or bullying prevention measure It is very important that children are involved in it, because it is a way to achieve an effective response on their part
In this way, they are more likely to feel responsible for the measures taken against bullying, since they have the capacity for empathy that allows them to support those who are suffering violence and, therefore, seek their protection by requesting help. .
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4. The population and especially children must be taught what cyberbullying is.
Families, as well as teachers and many professionals, They still do not have all the knowledge or adequate means to identify when they are facing a case of cyberbullying just as many children are not aware that they are suffering from a situation like this, so they come to normalize it.
Therefore, it is vital to develop training plans that teach and raise awareness, both adults and children, regarding what cyberbullying is, the ways in which it is usually carried out and what are the signs that would allow it to be detected. that a child is suffering from this form of bullying.
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5. Cyberbullying can cause a lot of damage in a short time
Cyberbullying is a form of violence of special relevance because today’s young people are already “digital natives”, which means that they have grown up surrounded by technological devices, so The vast majority of members of this generation are hyperconnected to networks
This means that new forms of harassment such as cyberbullying have emerged, taking on special relevance given that There is greater difficulty in detecting the aggressor because there is not always direct face-to-face contact with the victim Furthermore, harassment can be carried out with an alias that makes identification difficult; In this way it is easier for bullying to perpetuate itself over time.
On the other hand, the audience that witnesses said act of violence can be amplified without control given the great speed at which messages and publications can be transmitted through social networks. Therefore, it is important to monitor minors’ access to these platforms with great potential for viralization.
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6. Educate children to use digital resources responsibly
Given the special seriousness of cyberbullying due to the aforementioned, young people must be educated in the correct and respectful use of new technologies.
For it Online campaigns have been carried out, available to any user, that promote education based on respect for diversity and human rights as well as others aimed at responsible digital education for the population.
7. Detect cyberbullying quickly in cases where the prevention plan has not worked
It is crucial to detect a case of cyberbullying as soon as possible since the consequences will be more serious the longer it lasts. Although it is true that it is very difficult to detect such a case since, even if it could occur between schoolmates, this form of bullying can be carried out outside of school hours without the presence of teachers, children must be provided with resources, such as online portals, so that they can ask for help in a way that their anonymity is respected and action is taken as soon as possible.
It must be taken into account that in cases of cyberbullying, the law of silence may apply, which consists of witnesses not daring to ask for help due to the fear that they might suffer retaliation from the aggressor or for being marginalized by being considered a snitch.
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8. Provide educational centers with professionals who are qualified in strategies against cyberbullying
It is necessary that schools have expert professionals capable of providing resources to detect cyberbullying in order to stop it as soon as possible and to ensure that such cases do not happen again.
In these cases the figure of a psychologist is useful in the centers that has the necessary knowledge to detect and combat data chaos.
It is also important that educational centers have protocols for action in these cases that are clear, that reach everyone (teachers, students and parents), that are well coordinated among all members and that involve children in their participation.
Signs that a child who is being bullied may present
First of all, a very common warning sign among young people who are being bullied is a notable drop in their academic performance
Another very common sign is when they flatly and repeatedly refuse to participate in school and extracurricular activities; being more striking if long ago they used to be very participatory.
Both physical and psychological symptoms may also occur such as a low mood, lack of motivation to carry out activities that they previously used to carry out frequently, eating more or, on the contrary, less than what they used to eat normally, difficulties sleeping, complaints of feel a headache and/or stomach ache, etc.
Cyberbullying prevention tips for children and adolescents for
It is essential that children and adolescents learn the limits between making a joke to a classmate without any malice and when those red lines have been crossed, becoming a form of harassment and violence. They must stop normalizing this old habit of playing certain jokes using methods that can be excessive and violent
It is striking that in the investigation carried out in this regard by Save Children, when some children were asked the cause of their aggression towards other classmates, they did not know how to explain the reason. That is why carrying out an effective prevention plan among the youngest, teaching them a more respectful way to relate to their peers turns out to be one of the most effective ways to prevent and combat the different ways in which bullying can be perpetrated.
When making a cyberbullying prevention plan, as in any other form of bullying with children, you must work from basic psychological elements such as empathy, assertiveness, a mode of critical thinking and the assessment of the effects that may occur as a consequence of their behaviors.
There are also a series of basic guidelines for the youngest that can help them prevent cyberbullying:
If you are being harassed through social networks, it is advisable not to enter the game by answering the aggressor.
When you are suffering online harassment, it is essential to take screenshots in order to have demonstrable evidence.
Personal data should never be provided over the network.
Do not behave on the networks as you would not behave in real life.
In case of serious threats, it is very important to seek help urgently.
If you suffer cyberbullying or any type of harassment, there are a series of websites and contact numbers to ask for help (they vary by region).
You should never hesitate to ask for help, it is essential to tackle the problem as soon as possible.
If you are being harassed through a forum or social network, you can report your case to the page manager.
Children should know that by harassing others online they are committing a very serious crime.
