SafeGuard Cyber Bullying

I have a teenage son, and know how hard it can be monitoring their every moment on the computer. I sometimes do not even allow my son on the computer, simply because I worry so much about what or who he will come in contact with. As a parent we can only monitor so much, we have to give them some independence and not sit over their shoulder watching every word they type - even though that's what we may want to do.

One of the biggest threats to pre-teens and teens on the Internet is cyber bullying – repeated verbal abuse through instant messages, emails, and social networking sites. What makes cyber bullying so dangerous is that adults can’t see or hear the abuse, so cyber bullies go unpunished and victims are left to face the threats alone. It is so much easier for a bully to type words of abuse, than in person. While representatives in Congress are trying to push through bills to protect children from cyber bullying, there are steps parents can take right now to prevent their children from being involved in these attacks. Ellen Ohlenbusch, Mom and President of McGruff SafeGuard (www.GoMcGruff.com), a company that provides free software to help parents monitor and supervise their children’s activity online, has put together 10 tips for parents to keep their children safe from cyber bullying.

TOP 10 TIPS FOR PREVENTING CYBER BULLYING

By Ellen Ohlenbusch, President of McGruff SafeGuard (www.GoMcGruff.com)

  • Keep computers in an open area – not in a child’s bedroom
  • Tell kids to keep passwords safe, private and difficult to guess – no pet names as passwords!
  • Don’t allow your child to maintain multiple accounts with alias names
  • Teach children to respect others online, as they would in person
  • Discuss bullying and the emotional impact it creates
  • Discuss what content is and is not appropriate to share online
  • Tell kids that what they post online is “out there” forever – they can’t control how other people will use their photos or information
  • Discuss how ‘piling’ on is not appropriate. That while they may not start something, if they see cyber bullying happening, they should not contribute.
  • Set a clear standard/example for your children to follow
  • Install a parental monitoring software that sends email alerts if cyber bullying is detected.
As a mother of four, my own personal advice is to keep in communication with your child. Set limits on their computer use, and take the time each day to sit down and actually have a conversation with your child. When you talk to them, make them feel comfortable by not criticizing everything they tell you, just listen and share your own experiences you had when growing up. But always remember - first you are their Mother, friendship comes second...