Bullying is no longer reserved just for playgrounds and the bus on the way to school!
According to statistics compiled by DoSomething.org, almost 43% of kids have been bullied online. A quarter of them have been the victim of online bullies multiple times. Unfortunately, the consequences of cyberbullying go far beyond lost lunch money and they are often tragic. There are dozens of sad and tragic stories about kids and teens who were the victims of such harsh online bullying that they chose to harm themselves or take their own lives. While it is hard to shield kids entirely, especially since they can constantly be online today, social media monitoring services can be a great tool for parents.
Generally, the best internet protection for kids needs to revolve around social media. Between the volume of sites that they can use to interact and the ease at which bullies can torment their peers through them makes them a breeding ground, so to speak, for cyberbullying. While they do have a lot of value and can be fun for kids and teens if they are used properly, social media sites often open the door to harassment. In an effort to counter that, parents should think about investing in social media monitoring services that alert them to possible problems.
In a perfect world, kids would have the ability to police themselves a bit, and they would stand up for those who are being bullied. However, that does not seem to be the case. DoSomething.org also notes that 90% of teens who have witnessed bullying on social media have ignored it altogether, which means parents might be the only defense for kids. Social media monitoring software can help parents make that their kids aren’t left to fend for themselves when trying to deal with bullies. Thankfully, there may also be some hope in the fact that 84% of teens indicated that they had witnessed others tell bullies to stop.
There is a fine line between using social media monitoring services to make sure kids aren’t being bullied and just spying on them, and parents need to be careful not to overstep their bounds. But considering the often tragic consequences of cyberbullying, every parent would be wise to at least keep tabs on what their kids are up to online. In the long run, it is better to hear them yell and get upset about privacy than it is to lose them completely.
