What Parents Need to Know About the Rise of Cyberbullying in UK Schools

Young people's interconnectedness has greatly increased with technology. The internet has made information, communication, and entertaining activities accessible to students, but it also brings along new threats; the most alarming one is bullying. Cyberbullying, which refers to willful and repeated harm inflicted through electronic devices, media has unfortunately increased in many schools in the UK and parents are left worrying about how to save their children from this problem.

Consequences of cyberbullying are dire and may include stress or poor performance in school while those who suffer extreme effects may be affected mentally for life. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for parents to remain updated on the typical signs of cyberbullying, its prevention, and what to do if their child encounters it. Here in this blog, we will focus on how cyberbullying has developed over the years in UK schools and tips that will help parents assist their children in safely using the internet.

The Increasing Issue of Cyberbullying in the UK

The past decade has seen a consistent growth in the rates of cyberbullying across schools in the UK. Reports indicate that 12- to 15-year-olds have all been victims of cyberbullying through social media, messaging, or gaming, as such, it can be concluded that nearly one in five children have been victims of bullying in the cyber realm because there is no online safety (Monks et. al., 2016). Whereas conventional bullying might have only limited perpetrators and victims, cyberbullying is far more widespread and uniformly accessible, as such, it can occur at any time, anywhere which intensifies the emotional pressure a child may face.

The ease with which online anonymity can be created has also contributed to the increasing incidence of bullying, for bullies can effortlessly inflict damage on their victims without any serious long-term repercussions. Cyberbullying can be in the form of sending threatening texts, sharing embarrassing videos or pictures, spreading false information, or banning a person from online communities, among others. If sustained for a long time, these acts can severely affect a child's self-worth, emotional well-being, and social identity.

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The Effects of Cyberbullying on Kids

Cyberbullying has a lasting effect on targeted children, which is a major cause for concern in today's times. A targeted child is likely to be targeted even during offline hours by a bully. Furthermore, constant targeting may give rise to depression, and insomnia, expose the child to suicidal thoughts, and increase anxiety levels. Additionally, children may also suffer from under-nutrition alongside the harassment, as a consequence of their emotional turmoil.

Furthermore, a significant number of those bullied reported poor performance in academics. This is because children do not feel empowered to take part or engage in class due to the great stress they are exposed to. When factors like this persist in a child’s life, it leads to even greater mental anguish, resulting in a cycle that can feel suffocating to a child. 

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Create a safe space to talk.

For cyberbullying to be curbed the first step is to explain to your child about their life on the net. The aim should be to provide an environment in which they can express and comfortably report any such obnoxious content they may have encountered on the net. Encourage them to share their passwords or allow monitoring of their social media accounts, especially at a tender age when they may require supervision to ensure that they do not get victimized.

Provide Guidance on Proper Usage Of The Internet 

Also important in what is referred to as cyberbullying prevention is awareness dissemination about the use of violence and abuse on social networks towards children. Remind them to take their words more seriously before posting or sharing anything on social networks, because once it is on the internet, it may be quite difficult to erase it. Emphasize the opposite and talk about the effects of spreading hurtful things, be it a nasty comment, a picture, or gossip.

Restrict screen time

Setting reasonable restrictions on the time spent in front of the screen also can mitigate the risk of suffering from being cyberbullied, for example, high dependency on social networks and online games can result in exposure to violence and abuse. If you know when and how long your child can go online, you can encourage limits so that your child won’t stay too long in places that could encourage bullying.

Children and adolescents need to establish a good balance in their daily routines, which incorporates quality time with family, time to complete chores, leisure outdoors, and time to interact with people outside the internet (ER, 2020). The main reason for this practice is to ensure that your child is well protected from all forms of risk that are associated with online engagements, as well as promoting a good standard of digital practice.

To Conclude

For parents, teachers, and mental health practitioners the upsurge of cyberbullying incidents across UK schools is troubling. Yet there is a way parents could retain a meaningful bond with their children that may serve to diminish the cyberbullying’s adverse repercussions – assisting them in understanding the dangers of it while at the same time encouraging them to talk about the matter with them increasing the chances of their child not engaging in bullying. Considering how much technology has permeated into the lifestyles of youth, proper measures to ensure a safe internet etiquette practice should be taught considering the vast opportunities the digital world can offer without exposure to cyberbullying.

References

Monks, C. P., Mahdavi, J., & Rix, K. (2016). The emergence of cyberbullying in childhood: Parent and teacher perspectives. Psicologí a Educativa, 22(1), 39–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pse.2016.02.002

ER (2020). How to Make Progress on Your Goals When You Feel Unmotivated? https://eazyresearch.com/blog/how-to-make-progress-on-your-goals-when-you-feel-unmotivated/