Gen Y consultant and bullying researcher Francesca Alagona says it’s important for parents and teachers to fight cyber with cyber when it comes to online bullying.
“The rising incidence of cyber bullying should send a strong signal that it’s time to familiarise yourself with how kids use email, chat and social networking sites in particular, says Ms Alagona.
“Join Facebook. Check out Myspace. Get to know these spaces. It’ll give you an insight into how cyber-bullying happens, and why it’s so demoralising when it does,” she says.
The potential for humiliation grows with cyber bullying, as the audience can be bigger when many friends are online at once. The impact can also be felt more acutely because it can happen around the clock and anonymity makes bullies braver.
“You don’t have to feel powerless if you suspect your child is being bullied online. Bring yourself up to speed, start a conversation with your kids, be included, keep an eye out,” she says.
Many children are afraid to report cyber bullying to their parents and teachers because they worry their access to the internet or their mobile will be taken away.
‘”There’s no point creating more fear around social networking: it’ll just drive kids to secrecy and shut you out. We want to create and encourage safe, responsible and enjoyable use of technology,” says Ms Alagona.
No stranger to bullying, Ms Alagona turned her own primary school experience of more traditional bullying into tertiary research, and now develops training modules and workshops on the subject for En Masse, a company specialising in human rights for business transformation.
“For example – if you understand how privacy settings work, you can make sure your children know they have control over who sees their information and how to remove, report and block potential bullies if they need to,” says Ms Alagona.
Follow the links for more information on En Masse’s bullying education and training programs or visit our online learning page to see how an online learning solution can work for you. To discuss how we can tailor a program for your specific needs call us on (03) 9827 1388
