It is so important that we keep our children safe online and educate them of the dangers that are out there. Not just from predators and people they do not know, but also from their peers who may think it is fun to post or write unpleasant things about them. It is known as cyber-bullying. In fact we aren’t just talking about others bullying our children online but also making sure that our children aren’t bullying others. But how do they know what they can and cannot do?
As their parents we need to be having conversations with them about the rules of online behaviour. It should be a prerequisite to them having a device. If they want to have a phone to play games or socialise then they need to be responsible. Otherwise doesn’t that make us liable for the cyber-bullying that may happen by our child?
The A,B,C Approach To Tackling Cyber-Bullying
I think it does and to back up my thoughts I found this article, Make Parents Liable for Cyber-bullying I think it makes a lot of sense and I particularly like its A, B, C approach.
“A is to avoid judgement. Make your child feel like they can talk to you if they experience a problem online, that they can talk without being punished or especially without their phone being taken away;
B is to be familiar with what apps they are using, where the dangers are and talk to them about this;
C is to demonstrate care by your behaviour online.”
What do you think of this advice? Try implementing it with your children and see what they are up to on their devices. We need to mindful of what we are doing, what we are teaching and continue to have conversations with our children about how others are interacting online, their thoughts on what they see and check that whatever they are doing falls in line with our values.
Do you keep a check on your child’s online activity and if so how? Would love to hear your experiences of this, so do leave a comment at the end of this blog or via my social media channels.
