Ten Do’s And Don’ts For Talking About Cyberbullying

Ten Do’s And Don’ts For Talking About Cyberbullying

By Hillary Smith

 

For many children, being five can be complicated. Daily, our sons and daughters are being greeted with new experiences, friendships, and situations that require them to learn and develop new skills at a rapid pace. This is an exciting time, but we often forget that our young children have not developed the social skills or words needed to bridge these new horizons with grace. This is where tears of frustration and hurtful words come into play in preschools, daycares, and kindergartens across the country. Unfortunately, today’s children are no longer confined to the local park or small classroom. Instead, they have the world as their playground through technology and the Internet. Our children are beginning to use technology at increasingly younger ages.

Most children begin using the Internet around the age of three and today’s fastest growing demographic of online video gamers is the two to five year old crowd. As our kids learn new social skills and begin using the Internet, it is essential that we talk to them about cyberbullying before a problem develops. While we understand children need to learn kindness in the classroom and at home, many people are flummoxed when it comes to teaching young children about cyberbullying. This is an essential topic, because research is showing that 87 percent of our kids have encountered cyberbullying in some form.

To help you broach this subject with our smallest technology users, we have compiled the following list of do’s and don’ts to help you talk about cyberbullying:

DO begin a discussion. Take a few minutes and talk about how words can hurt people. Have a child recall a time they felt sad when someone called them a name or made fun of them. Build on their feelings and help them realize that they have the power to hurt others by using mean words.

DO lay down the law. Clearly state that your family will not tolerate cruelty or bullying.

DON’T share passwords with others. Teach children that passwords should be only shared with parents. For everyone else they should be kept a secret.

DO provide examples of what cyberbullying looks and sounds like. By offering children concrete samples of cyberbullying, they will be better able to recognize and understand the behaviors they are trying to avoid.

DO let children see technology as a privilege. Save their devices for a fun treat or rainy day activity.

DON’T use belittling or mean comments around children. Lead by setting a good example of how to behave around others. Use “kind” words, avoid gossipping, and try to build up others around you.

DO begin monitoring your children’s online and digital activity now. Make sure you know what sites, games, and apps your children frequent. By actively tracking behaviors today, it will be easier to stay in the know tomorrow when kids are texting and using social media as teens.

DO teach children social media etiquette and manners. It sounds like common sense, but we can’t expect them to suddenly possess these skills without being taught them first. Stress politeness and teach them the “grandma rule”, only post what you would feel comfortable with grandma seeing.

DO keep technology in common living areas. Only allow access to their devices where family members can keep an eye on their activity.

DON’T give up! It takes children a lot of practice to master any new skill and digital citizenship is no exception.

 

Looking Ahead…

If you have spent any amount of time with five year olds, you understand the complexity of their relationships. One minute they are best buddies building rocket ships from Legos and the next minute they are feuding over who gets to hold your hand. Parents and caregivers are essential in the process of helping young children develop the needed social skills to succeed and thrive in all the different kinds of settings they will experience in life. Taking proactive measures while a child is young to help them learn about digital citizenship is vital to stopping the cyberbullying epidemic. With a little coaching and positive reinforcement, we will be able to ensure our sons and daughters have the necessary skills to live in a world ripe with technology and social media.

How do you teach children about cyberbullying?

For more info like this, please visit All My Children’s blogs.

 

“Born and raised in Austin, TX, Hilary Smith is a free-lance journalist whose love of gadgets, technology and business has no bounds. After becoming a parent she now enjoys writing about family and parenting related topics. “