Social media platforms have become a daily staple in our society. They are all around us and are ubiquitous in our children’s lives.
As adults, we must ensure that our kids use them responsibly and don’t engage in or perpetrate cyberbullying activities.
Cyberbullying is when someone uses technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or victimize another person. It can happen on social media, in chat rooms, or via emails.
Cyberbullying can be anonymous, meaning the bully’s identity is not known to the victim, or it can come from someone the victim knows.
According to a study by Cyberbullying.org, around 37% of children, aged 12 to 17, in the United States have been bullied online, making it a pressing problem for young people today.
With that in mind, here we cover some best practices you can teach your child to help them so they continue staying safe from cyberbullying and learn more about being responsible on social media.
Internet Etiquette: 8 Ways to Teach Children to be More Responsible
The Role of Parents
As you teach your child to use social media responsibly, it’s important to practice what you preach and be a role model of acceptable behavior.
The onus for a child’s online actions ultimately rests with the parents. While demonstrating ideal behavior is a good start, you and your children are unlikely to be active in the same social networks, so this step has its limits.
Talking about social media etiquette is your best bet because, if parents and other adults teach kids about cyberbullying early, they can help prevent it from happening and avoid some of its dreadful consequences.
Explain What is Acceptable Behavior Online
This can include things like how to behave with other people online (the same as in real life, no nasty, hateful, or discriminatory speech or actions).
Teaching acceptable behavior includes showing them appropriate and inappropria