Prevention (What Can Parents Do?)

As a parent/guardian it is your job to keep your children safe. Below are some steps that you can use in order to prevent and/or put a stop to cyber-bulling affecting your child.

• "Talk to your [children] about responsible Internet use" (Be Web Aware).
• "Learn everything you can about the Internet and what your [children] are doing online. Talk to them about the places they go online and the activities they are involved in" (Be Web Aware).
• Be aware of what your children are posting on Web sites, including personal home pages.
  
• Discuss cyber-bullying with your children and ask if they have ever experienced it or seen it happen to someone.
  
• "Encourage your [children] to come to you if anybody says or does something online that makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened" (Be Web Aware). Make sure to stay calm and keep the lines of communication and trust open and most importantly be supportive during this time.
  
• "Watch out for signs that your child is being bullied online" (Be Web Aware). An indication may be an unwillingness to use the computer or go to school.
  
• If your child is being bullied online, do something.
  
  • "If the bully is a student at your child's school, meet with school officials and ask for help in resolving the situation" (Be Web Aware).
  • "Report incident[s] of online harassment and physical threats to your local police and your Internet Service Provider (ISP)" (Be Web Aware).
  • "If your child is bullied through a cell phone, report the problem to your phone service provider" (Be Web Aware). If it is a repeated problem, the phone number should be changed.

Be Web Aware: Challenging Cyber Bullying. (2008) Retrieved October 12, 2008 from
http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/CyberBullying.aspx

STOP cyberbullying: What's the Parents Role in This? (2008) Retrieved October 11, 2008 from
http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/prevention/parents_role.html