STRATEGIES OF FIGHTING
BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING
BULLYING
Many students experience bullying at school, online and by text often consider it to be a normal part of their daily life ,however, bullying can cause students to suffer emotionally as well as physical y.
When people hear the word “bully”, they assume it involves someone hitting or pushing someone around. A person can be bullied in different ways. The four most prominent types of bullying are Physical, Indirect, Verbal, and Cyber.
Now we’re going to talk about bul ying and appropriate solutions.
1-Problem: If someone who has been bullied comes to you and asks for your help what should you do?
2-Solution: Properly identify the problem. Teach youth to clearly understand their difficulty and what specifically is distressing them. Ask them: “How is your current situation different from how you would like it to be?” Encourage them to approach the process with a positive attitude, viewing the situation as an opportunity to improve things.
3-Problem: What can be done after bullying is limited. So what should we do to avoid bullying?
4- Solution: Schools can set up programs to educate all students from a young age about the dangers and effects of bullying. Try to stop the problem before it starts by setting up parameters for students when faced with bullying.
5- Problem: Wel , it’s not just something to be learned in school.
What else should we do?
6- Solution: Parents need to have a clear understanding of what constitutes bullying and the schools bullying policies so that they can recognize the signs and take all incidents of peer abuse seriously. A parent of a bully needs to take steps to work with the child by finding out why the child is bullying and determining if the child needs professional counseling.
7- Problem: What should we do if we are there when the bullying is taking place?
8- Solution: If you face or witness a bul ying, don’t stay silent. If you stay silent, everyone stays silent and the bullying never ends.
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9- Problem: What should we do if such measures do not work and no one takes them into account?
10- Solution: There should be strict rules and penalties for bullying. People should avoid bullying in this way.
11- Problem: People are not aware of the seriousness of the situation, what should we do?
12- Solution: We can tell them the seriousness of the situation by telling them about the events that happened. Unfortunately, there are many people who have experienced both physical and mental problems due to bullying. And people can understand these and realize the seriousness of the situation.
13- Problem: Don’t you want anyone to be ostracized or bul ied anymore?
14- Solution: We must destroy our perceptions. You should not forget that everyone is beautiful with their differences and if everyone were the same, people would be no different from a printout from a photocopier.
Cyberbullying cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content.
Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.
Frequency of Cyberbullying
-The 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) indicates that an estimated 15.7% of high school students were electronically bullied in the 12 months prior to the survey.
-The 2019 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice) indicates that, nationwide, about 16 percent of students in grades 9–12 experienced cyberbullying.
What does cyberbullying look like?
Cyberbullying amongst teens comes in many forms but the most common are:
1-receiving intentionally hurtful text messages, emails or direct messages on social media sites
2-people spreading rumours or lies about someone online 3-people sending images or videos intended to humiliate or embarrass someone
4-people sending threats to someone 5-people setting up and using fake online profiles to embarrass or intimidate someone.
What are the effects of cyberbullying?
When bul ying happens online it can feel as if you’re being attacked everywhere, even inside your own home. It can seem like there’s no escape. The effects can last a long time and affect a person in many ways:
Mentally: feeling upset, embarrassed, stupid, even afraid or angry.
Emotionally: feeling ashamed or losing interest in the things you love.
Physically: tired or experiencing symptoms like stomach aches and headaches.
How does a person who is cyberbullied feel? Here are some solutions.
1-Am I being bullied online? How do you tell the difference between a joke and bullying?
İf you feel hurt or think others are laughing at you instead of with you, then the joke has gone too far. If it continues even after you’ve asked the person to stop and you are stil feeling upset about it, then this could be bullying.
2-Who should I talk to if someone is bullying me online? Why is reporting important?
If you think you’re being bul ied, the first step is to seek help from someone you trust such as your parents, a close family member or another trusted adult. In your school you can reach out to a counsellor or your favourite teacher.
3-I’m experiencing cyberbul ying, but I’m afraid to talk to my parents about it. How can I approach them?
If you are experiencing cyberbullying, speaking to a trusted adult,someone you feel safe talking to is one of the most important first steps you can take.
Talking to parents isn’t easy for everyone. But there are things you can do to help the conversation. Choose a time to talk when you know you have their full attention. Explain how serious the problem is for you. Remember, they might not be as familiar with technology as you are, so you might need to help them to understand what’s happening.
4-How can I help my friends report a case of cyberbullying especial y if they don’t want to do it?
Anyone can become a victim of cyberbullying. If you see this happening to someone you know, try to offer support.
It is important to listen to your friend. Why don’t they want to report being cyberbullied? How are they feeling? Let them know that they don’t have to formal y report anything, but it’s crucial to talk to someone who might be able to help.
How do I prevent my personal information from being used to manipulate or humiliate me on social media?
Think twice before posting or sharing anything on digital platforms (it may be online forever and could be used to harm you later.) Don’t give out personal details such as your address, telephone number or the name of your school.
For parents;
5-6-What to do if your child is being cyberbullied?
If you know your child is being cyberbullied, the first thing to do is to be supportive and empathetic. Make sure that they know it’s not their fault. Cyberbullying is serious and upsetting, so try not to minimise or trivialise the situation in order to make your child ‘feel better’.
7-What to do if your child feels unsafe?
If your child feels unsafe, for example if someone is threatening them or your family, call the police on 000 to get help.
If your child is distressed about the bullying, encourage them to speak to a mental health professional, or direct them to services that can help. This may be a school counsellor, or a service like Kids Helpline.
8-How to keep your teenager safe online?
-Make sure all apps and software are updated for the latest security patches.
-Do a password check and change any that have been flagged for a potential breach or are used on more than one account.
-Review privacy settings on all devices, apps, and websites your child uses.
-Update your family’s online safety contract and review it with your kids.
-Check in to see if your kids have anything they’re concerned or worried about that’s been happening online 11