I have previously published a blog post on Childhood Bullying (http://metimetherapy.org/single-post/Childhood-Bullying). Being bullied is by no means a harmless rite of passage, as research again and again has demonstrated that it throws a “long shadow over affected people’s lives”. The long-term effects are profound and studies have shown that childhood bullying can be a major risk factor for poor mental health in adulthood, raising the risk of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal thoughts.
Mobile, internet and wireless technologies have increased the pace of communication and brought benefits to users worldwide. But their popularity provides increasing opportunity for misuse through ‘Cyberbullying’. The advent of Cyberbullying adds a new and worrying dimension to the problem of bullying – there’s no safe haven for the person being bullied. Unlike other forms of bullying, Cyberbullying can follow children and young people into their private spaces and outside school hours. Cyberbullies can communicate their messages to a wide audience with remarkable speed, and can often remain unidentifiable and unseen.
As parents, it is important that we are aware of what we can do to keep our children safe online. There are numerous resources online, although one I would recommend taking a look at is "A Comprehensive Cyberbullying Guide for Parents" written by John Bennet, an experienced data and communications engineer and cross-platform copy and content writer with a keen interest in Cybersecurity. This guide can be found at https://www.wizcase.com/blog/a-comprehensive-cyberbullying-guide-for-parents/
The guide provides advice and information on how we can protect our children from Cyberbullying and how to tackle it if it does happen.