Some rules to protect our children from Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying indicates “ any form of pressure, aggression, harassment, blackmail, insult, defamation, identity theft, manipulation, illicit processing of personal data, carried out electronically, as well as the dissemination of online content relating to one or more members of the child’s family whose intentional and predominant purpose is to isolate a child or a group of children by engaging in serious abuse, malicious attack, or ridicule “(v. art.1, c. 2, l. 71/2017).

In today’s hyper-technological society, bullying often takes the form of cyberbullying . The boundless world of the web has brought with it new methods of attack and abuse. In fact, there is no longer just that type of psychological, verbal or even physical violence that was consumed in school desks or in the playgrounds. New forms of ‘aggression’ against not only the apparently weakest victims, but anyone, are now consumed online through the use of chat and social networks, instant messaging, online message boards, etc.…

Unlike what happens in traditional bullying, the cyberbully thanks to the anonymity he can enjoy online – thanks to the possibility of creating fake profiles – can act undisturbed with the possibility of spreading offenses, insults and private material belonging to third parties reaching a potentially unlimited audience.

The parent or even the teacher who wants to help their child and defend themselves in a situation of cyberbullying, can follow certain precautions. First of all it is very important to intervene immediately, as soon as the existence of a cyberbullying dynamic is perceived.

First, even if it is not always easy, you must try to establish a bond of trust with your teenage son or daughter a bond of trust so that it is easier for him / her to communicate and confide.

Also, try to:

monitor the use of IT means
Tell your child how to use them, set passwords to control what content they can access, and only allow use at certain times.

stay informed
You can also try to understand the computer language of the new generations to see if there is something wrong. Don’t be afraid to ask for explanations if you don’t understand something.

establish secure online relationships
Teach your child how to establish safe and secure online relationships by asking him to be careful and to choose only people he knows even in real life to avoid meeting online hackers, scammers or bad guys.

The boundary between online life and offline life is really blurred and everything that happens through new technologies also has repercussions in real life. We must therefore always remain vigilant, inform ourselves, update ourselves and put ourselves in their shoes to understand their language, their dreams, their ideals, their expectations..