Local Life - Wigan - November 2018

62
Cyber
Bullying
Although playground bullying is not new, its nature
has changed with the advent of smart phones
and social media. Now
we see more cyber
bullying, or rather we
don’t see it as it tends to
be hidden and carried
out in secret. Almost half
of all young people say
they have been bullied
online and more than
70% say they’ve seen it
happening.
number it came from, as evidence to show teachers
or police.
As parents it can be
difficult to know what to
do if your child is being
bullied, or conversely is a
bully. Here are some tips:
Discuss bullying with
your child from an early
age. Discuss netiquette. Adults sometimes behave
more aggressively when they are behind the safety
of a computer screen, and it’s the same for children,
who are still learning to navigate the online world.
Make it clear that being a target is not their fault.
Make it clear that whether it’s in real life or online
bullying is never acceptable.
Advise your child to protect their phone number
by only giving it out to trusted members or family
members. Tell them to keep track of who they have
given it to.
If your child has received a bullying message, tell
them to screenshot it and send it to you. Make
a note of the time and date it was sent and the
Do not respond to the message. The phone number
or email will probably identify the source. If the
bully gets no response then they tend to stop doing
it.
Don’t panic if your child is the bully. It doesn’t
mean they will grow into a terrible human being.
But bullying behaviour can often be a cry for help.
Perhaps they are finding the teen years more
stressful than they are letting on. Maybe they are
struggling to negotiate friendships and schoolwork.
Make time to talk with them, not only about their
own issues but about the impact they might be
having on someone else’s life.
By Sarah Davey