If your teen has a cell phone and/or social media accounts, there is a chance he has observed or been a victim of cyber bullying. I’m going to tell you how to prevent it, how to stop it if it’s happening to you, and what to do if you see it happening to someone else.
I am thrilled to serve as a brand ambassador for TeenSafe, the popular parenting smartphone monitoring service. Each month, I will be bringing a fresh round of tips to make managing our lives as parents of teens easier. You can find all of my TeenSafe posts here.
I have been a TeenSafe user for about seven months. I enjoy being able to monitor my son’s cell phone (or tablet) use. I can remotely access his usage, history, and habits. It’s allowed us to have frank conversations about appropriate internet behavior, responsible phone use, and a sense of security.
He knows the app is installed on his devices and that he is being held accountable to us for his actions. With privilege comes responsibility.
Cyber bullying is another hot topic to discuss with your child if they are at an age where they’re online a lot. This type of bullying and bullying in real life are never okay and it’s important that your child recognizes if this type of behavior is happening to them or someone else and to tell an adult – immediately.
In the third post in this series, we will explore how to stop cyber bullying to understand what it is, how to prevent it, and how to stop it from happening to your teen (or someone else).
What is Cyber Bullying?
the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.
Examples include:
- rumors spread online
- mean or hurtful comments
- threats sent via text
- threats sent online
- impersonation
- mean or hurtful images
How to Prevent Cyber Bullying Before It Starts
This is the advice I’ve given to my 13-year-old son:
- Always think before you post.
- Never share passwords or personal data, such as your address, online.
- Never send inappropriate photos or texts that may come back to haunt you.
- When you make comments about someone, imagine how you would feel if that were said about you.
How to Stop Cyber Bullying (If It’s Happening to You)
Common Sense Media gives some great advice on how teens can stop cyber bullying:
1. Don’t Respond or Retaliate.
2. Block the Bully.
3. Save the Evidence.
4. Report It.
5. Tell a Friend or Trusted Adult.
What to Do If You See Cyber Bullying
There really is power in numbers. If your child observes cyber bullying, there are a few things they can do to help:
- Don’t “Like” or “Share” it.
- Report it.
- Say something (because most bullies stop when a peer intervenes).
- Let the person being bullied know privately that you’ve got their back.
This information and the infographic shown below was provided by TeenSafe.
How TeenSafe Can Help Address Cyber Bullying
TeenSafe is a monitoring service that allows parents to monitor their child’s iPhone or Android smartphone as well as view activity on Instagram, WhatsApp and Kik Messenger.
When you sign into TeenSafe, your teen’s smartphone data will be available for you to view. TeenSafe offers complete security. Only you can access your child’s data.
You can use the following information to monitor bullying activity and have educational conversations with your teen:
- View Texts – View sent, received and deleted SMS and iMessages. You can also check spam sms details on Short codes.
- View Calls – View call logs of incoming and outgoing calls including contact name, number, date and duration.
- See Phone Location – See your teen’s current smartphone location on a map as well a history of the phone’s location.
- View Instagram – View Instagram posts, comments, and followers.
- View Installed Apps – View a list of all third-party applications installed on your child’s phone.**
- Whatsapp – View Sent and Received Whatsapp messages*
- Kik – View Sent and Received Kik Messenger texts*
- Internet – See web search history. See web browsing history.
- View contacts
*iPhone only. **Android only.
What are you waiting for? Start Your 1 Week FREE Trial Now. Cancel Anytime. No obligation. No risk.
This post was sponsored by TeenSafe.
SUCH an important topic. Thank you for sharing this!
This is so needed. What’s crazy is that nowadays the bullying gets transferred to adulthood and it becomes full on abuse. Programs like these that help parents prevent it early (both for the bullied and aggressors) are essential. Thank you so much for the great post and info.
Those are great conversation starters, Raki. My kids are still young, but it’s something I’ll have to keep in mind when they get online access. I like the part about think before you post. Even adults can use that advice!
TeenSafe looks like a great way for parents to keep tabs on kids online accounts. Thank you for linking up at the #HomeMattersParty this week!
Great conversation on a serious topic. Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday.
A good method to start is definitely by surfing online and buying few dwelling cleaning companies in the market. Find out what design has the perfect kind with services and it is close to your home. Most of times it is easy to get the information on online, so you do not have to get in touch with or look at the company in such a phase. deep cleaning dubai