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All about cyberbullying.
Bullying does not stop at the school gates. It can continue online. What is cyberbullying exactly? How can you recognize it? And what role does the school have? In this article, you will read all about it.
Cyberbullying, what is it?
Cyberbullying happens online. Through social media like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, Whatsapp, email, or in a game environment.
Your child gets unpleasant messages. These can be personal comments, sometimes visible to everyone. Or someone talks badly about your child online by sharing photos or videos.
Sometimes cyberbullying goes so far that there are threats or wishes of harm. Cyberbullying is very serious because it goes on all day. Even when your child is at home.
How can you recognize cyberbullying?
For parents, cyberbullying can be hard to see. Your child will not often say they are being bullied online. You can notice it by a change in behavior or even physical complaints.
You can ask your child regularly to show you a favorite app or how the atmosphere is in the class group chat. Or you can be online yourself and keep an eye on what happens online. Through your own social media accounts or by (with permission) checking your child’s accounts or phone.
What must the school do about cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying often happens mostly outside school hours. Is it then the school’s matter? That depends on the situation, but in many cases, your child also deals with it at school.
Does bullying happen in a class app? Or is it done by children from the class or school? Then the school must always do something. Your child does not feel safe at school because of the cyberbullying. And even if it does not happen directly in the classroom, the social environment at school is the base of bullying.
If your child is bullied online outside school, for example in a sports club, it can still be wise to involve the school. Especially when those children go to the same school.
When your child does not feel safe at school the school is partly responsible for stopping the bullying. The school has the duty of care to keep student safety.
What can you do yourself?
Children deal with the digital world of Whatsapp and social media at a younger age. It is more important to talk often with your child about the online world.
Keep the subject open and come back to it regularly. This way your child knows they can come to you if it happens. You can also ask if your child ever notices someone is bullied online. This gives space to talk with your child about what to do about it.
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