| The number of cyberbullying incidents has | | | | and effective. |
| increased significantly within the past few years. | | | | Here are some tips to protect your children from |
| Due to the extensive period of time spent on the | | | | cyberbullying: |
| internet, children's' virtual world has become their | | | | 1. Educate your children about cyberbullying. Get |
| reality. As a result, they become entrenched in | | | | them involved in the cause to put a stop to |
| communications with cyber predators. The only | | | | cyberbullying. Once they realize they can help and |
| way to put a stop to cyberbullying is to educate | | | | protect other children, they will become more |
| children and parents on the subject. | | | | passionate about it. |
| I have seen many children (younger than 16) set | | | | 2. Restrict internet access to a couple of hours a |
| up facebook accounts. Unfortunately, due to the | | | | week. Do not let the computer be a babysitter |
| fact they lie about their age in order to set up | | | | for your children. |
| this account, there are no current statistics on | | | | 3. Become tech savy! There are times where |
| how many children are on facebook. Luckily, I | | | | the child is more tech savy than the adult and can |
| have had the opportunity to become friends with | | | | easily hide sites they have visited. One step is |
| them and educate them on cyberbullying. They tell | | | | to set up a guest account on your computer |
| me exactly the type of interaction they have | | | | which will give them restricted access in deleting |
| with "online strangers". Some children, primarily | | | | certain sites they have visited. |
| females, establish an emotional relationship with | | | | 4. Check their phones! Tell them they are not |
| them to the point they are susceptible to fall into | | | | allowed to take their phones to bed. Check their |
| depression if anything is said to them that is | | | | text messages and the numbers they call. |
| hurtful or derogatory. | | | | 5. Security software. There is software which |
| One child claims she had "fallen in love" with a | | | | will actually record keystrokes on a computer. If |
| stranger she has been chatting with online. Once | | | | your child is in a chat room, all records of this will |
| she brought this to my attention, I immediately | | | | be recorded. |
| called her and said she needs to sever all | | | | 6. Set up a password on the computer. If your |
| communication with this person. I then informed | | | | child has a computer in his/her room, set up a |
| her of certain events where it was not a | | | | password so that any time the child wants to use |
| successful encounter. When delivering a message | | | | the computer, he/she has to go through you first. |
| to your children, it has to be direct, to the point | | | | |