JAKARTADAILY.ID – Bullying is a common problem among children and teenagers, furthermore, cyberbullying is also quickly becoming a prominent issue even among young adults on the internet.
Bullying in school is most commonly a byproduct of problems rooted at home while cyberbullying is frequently tied to anonymity on the internet and lack of repercussions for what we can say online.
The problem has persisted for decades, and sometimes even been glorified in media, so how can we as parents or teachers best deal with bullying?
As a teacher, the first thing you can do is establish a culture of honesty and empathy within your classes, likewise for parents. This is done to encourage the children around us to feel safe and trust us enough to speak out if he or she is having problems, including with bullying.
Additionally, we should thank them for sharing their problems with us, after all, it is the job of the guardians to keep the children safe from harm.
Ensure your child that whatever is happening to them is not their fault, show empathy, and ask them what you can do to help them feel safer from the bullies. Avoid at all costs blaming them, criticizing them, or even raising your voice at them.
Understanding Cyberbullying
Some may consider cyberbullying wholly different than bullying at school, after all, anyone with an internet connection can say mean and cruel things online.
If your child, or even you, are experiencing cyberbullying, the first step is understanding that people can and will say anything to get under your skin on the internet, and they will do that without a second to think about how those words will affect the other person.
This is not done because they are inherently mean or evil, but rather, because they can. People will say anything to get a rise out of others, on the internet, this is called “trolling.”
Trolling can be seen throughout the internet, it is when someone deliberately posts a message or a comment to get a reaction out of people. These comments can sometimes be outright inflammatory, or even seem so dumb that you are the one who gets angry.
The absolute best way to deal with cyberbullying is to understand that people will say what they want and that you do not have to meet answer every confrontation you come across on the internet and social media.
If you ever find yourself feeling angry, stressed, or fearful on the internet, that means it is time to log off, and as the kids say: “touch grass.”
