For many cyber bullying affects their everyday lives and is a constant source of distress and worry. With mobile technology being so freely available it is an ongoing issue and one that is relentless. Not only does it go on after school, college or work has finished, but it then carries through into the next day and the cycle continues. It has been well documented that cyber bullying has resulted in tragic events including suicide, and self-harm and clearly, more needs to be done in order to protect vulnerable children and adults from online bullying.
If you are worried that your child or a loved one might be the victim of cyber bullying here are some signs to look out for:-
Low self-esteem
Withdrawal from family and spending a lot of time alone
Reluctance to let parents or other family members anywhere near their mobiles, laptops etc
Finding excuses to stay away from school or work including school refusal
Friends disappearing or being excluded from social events
Losing weight or changing appearance to try and fit in
Fresh marks on the skin that could indicate self-harm and dressing differently such as wearing long sleeved clothes in the summer to hide any marks
A change in personality i.e. anger, depression, crying, withdrawn
What can you do to support someone who is being bullied online?
Reinforce that no one deserves to be treated in this way and that they have done nothing wrong
Ensure that they know that there is help available to them
Encourage them to talk to a teacher that they trust so they feel they have somewhere safe at school to go to
Encourage them to talk to their parents/carers and if this isn’t possible to write a letter or speak to another family member
Take screen shots of the cyber bullying so that they have proof this is happening
Report all abuse to the relevant social media networks by clicking on the “report abuse” button
Keep a diary so they have somewhere safe and private to write down their innermost thoughts and feelings which will help to avoid feelings bottling up
Give praise for being so brave and talking things through which will hopefully empower them to take responsibility and get help
Sending abuse by email or posting it into a web board can be harassment and if this has happened make a complaint to the police who can trace IP addresses etc
Ask the school if they have a School Liaison Police Officer that can help in this situation and talk to the school about the dangers and effects
Recent statistics show that
20% of children and young people indicate fear of cyber bullies made them reluctant to go to school
5% reported self-harm
3% reported an attempt of suicide as a direct result of cyber bullying
Young people are found to be twice as likely to be bullied on FB as any other social networking site.
28% of young people have reported incidents of cyber bullying on Twitter
26% of young people have reported incidents of cyber bullying on Ask.fm
Ref: Beat Bullying Virtual Violence II report commissioned by Nominet Trust http://archive.beatbullying.org/dox/media-centre/news-archive/Feb%202012/Virtual-Violence-II-The-Real-Impact-Of-Cyberbullying.html
Ditch the Label http://www.ditchthelabel.org/cyberbullying-statistics/
What support and help is available
We know that cyber bullying can have devastating impacts on some children and young adults, especially when they feel there is no let up from the abuse. So what help is available if you feel your child might be in danger of self harming or having suicidal thoughts?
Keep the school involved and put things in writing so you have a formal record of what has been going on. Ask the school if there is any pastoral support your child can access.
If your child has started to self-harm talk to your GP and a professional organisation who will be able to give you some much needed support such as Harmless or The National Self Harm Network Forum.
Remember that you are important too so it’s crucial that you are taking good care of yourself. The more relaxed you are feeling the better able you will be to support your child.
If you are worried that your child is having suicidal thoughts seek some medical advice from your GP. Young Minds is a national charity committed to improving the emotional and mental wellbeing of all children and young adults under the age of 25. They have a parents’ helpline where you can talk your situation through with a trained adviser.
But it’s not just children, Family Lives understands that cyber bullying affects adults too. We know that cyber bullying can also have a devastating impact on adults and can make you feel extremely isolated. It is very easy to post malicious and hurtful posts on social media sites as there is very little moderation and posts can go “live” before they can be reported. This can leave people feeling very vulnerable and at a loss as to what they can do.
So what can adults do if they are the victims of cyber bullying
Report the abuse to the relevant social media site