With the recent suicide of a 19-year old due to cyberbullying on Facebook by a deputy at a local police station in Idaho, uKnowKids and mobile safety expert Tim Woda offer tips for parents related to cyberbullying.
1. Understand the technology your kids are using. Certain sites have features that you may not know about and want to know about to protect your children. Check out what the technology does and how people interact with each other online.
2. Be a vigilant parent. Try to figure out who your children are talking to and who they’re interacting with online so that you have a sense of who could be helpful to your child and who could be a potential problem. Parent monitoring systems are very useful if the task is too overwhelming.
3. Know all of your children’s passwords. No exception.
4. Communicate house rules. Before letting your child use technology that allows them to interact with others online, make sure that he/she knows the rules and what is expected of them. Make sure they know the repercussions of being unsafe online as well as being a cyberbully. Make sure that they know any legal ramifications of cyberbullying and the potential dangers of being cyberbullied.
5. Look for warning signs. There are signs when someone is being cyberbullied and when he/she is becoming a cyberbully. There are noticeable differences that could result in the prevention of either case.
For more information on cyberbullying tips and parental monitoring systems, please visit:
http://www.watchlistnews.com/2013/07/01/uknowkids-provides-cyberbullying-tips-and-resources-for-idaho-in-light-of-recent-tragic-news/
