Over the years, the Internet has become an indispensable tool for children and adolescents. Today more than ever, they use it to study, however, also to navigate and interact on social networks, be it Facebook, Instagram or Tik Tok.
What may seem like a safe, everyday action very often is not. According to a survey, about 65% of minors between 8 and 14 years old have suffered cyberbullying or harassment in cyberspace.
As parents, we must be attentive to the virtual activity of our children. In this regard, parental monitoring apps like FamilyTime help a lot. We will talk about this app here today but first, have a look at some of the ways you can prevent cyberbullying. Ready to aim? Let’s get started:
Talk about the problem at home:
To prevent or detect a problem, we must start at the root, the concept and the disclosure about it. Communication between parents and children is important and even more so when it comes to talking about cyberbullying and its effects.
Therefore, take some time in your day to talk about this problem at home. Show confidence and freedom of opinions, because that way, your child can trust you.
Stay alert to any negative changes in your children
The behaviour of a minor is usually predictable; however, it can vary based on the personality of your chile. As parents, we must be alert to mood swings and emotions in children at home. From being anxious, losing sleep or appetite, and having a sudden change in grades, they are a sign that something is wrong.
For this, again enter to carve trust and attention. If you notice that your child is bothered by something, discuss it with him clearly and slowly.
Warn about the dissemination of personal data over the Internet
One of the things that users use to harass a minor is personal data. Given this, it is good to warn about the dissemination of these through social networks. Not just anyone can share a phone number, surname, bank details, among others.
Teache how to detect fake accounts
Another channel to combat cyberbullying is to detect fake users. These abound on the networks and, in general, are used by other minors, or worse, by those over 18 years of age.
Social networks like Facebook and Instagram, allow you to detect online stalkers and even report them. How to detect them? One of the steps is to look at the creation date of the account or profile image. If this is recent, features photos of animated characters, and has no posts, it is a sign that it is not real.
Do not prohibit internet access
One of the things you should NOT do with your children is prohibition. If from the beginning you prohibit access to the Internet due to a case of cyberbullying, the minor can respond in a negative way, as they will prefer to remain silent if they live it.
Instead of restricting, as parents, you should be calm and alert to any comments from your little one. With this, parents are recomeded to use FamilyTime parental monitoring app that help parents detect cyberbullying. With the app, parents can:
- See all text messages
- Read complete threads
- Spot hate speech and harsh comments
- See if your kid is involved in bullying
- Monitor contact book of kids
- Watchlist suspicious contacts to receive alerts
- Check the list of apps they use
- Identify communication apps from there
- Limit time of app usage
- Block the apps that allow strangers to contact your kids
- Lock their phone to save them from mental stress
- Schedule auto screen locks for the night, so they sleep well
And much more. The app offers a list of other features too that are related to monitoring and parental control. To explore the app yourself, give it a free try. You can get the trial version of the app from the app store on your phone. So visit the app store now.
In addition to using all the tips given above, be sure to instill confidence in your children, and above all, strengthen their self-esteem so they can protect themselves. Happy parenting!
