Safety Tips for Cyberbullying
If you've ever had an experience with a grade school bully, you can imagine what it must feel like to be harassed by a cyberbully who sends hurtful cell phone messages, emails and posts on social network sites. Cyberbullying can turn cool technology tools into a nightmare for victims-and online bullying may now be considered a criminal offense.
Cyberbulling includes sending threatening messages or humiliating images to mobile phones, spreading secrets or misinformation in chat rooms, sending hurtful content in emails, posting false or harassing information on social network sites like Facebook.
To help navigate this dark side of communications technology, here are a few cyberbullying safety tips that parents can give to young people:
1. Think about what you post. Be cautious about sharing anything personal online, even with people you know or in a private email or text conversation—the information could be made public by anyone you share it with.
2. Be nice online. It sounds simple, but if you say disrespectful things online you're much more likely to be a victim of cyberbulling than if you treat people the way you want to be treated.
3. Don't participate. Even if you are not the bully, don't watch a bully harass someone else. Stand up for the victim and report it to your parents, teachers or other adult who may be able to report the bad behavior.
For more information, including a list of contact information for some of the more popular social networking and instant messaging sites that you can use to report cyberbullying, download Trend Micro's Safety Tips on Cyberbullying.
Trend Micro collaborates with experts in the area of online safety around the world to provide the best advice, information, and tools to families, teachers and schools. For the latest information, visit our new Internet Safety for Kids and Families site.
What do kids do on computers when their parents aren't watching? Tune into The Fearless Web YouTube Channel created by Trend Micro to find out what happens to "Naughty Boy," as well as a number of other underage cyber-youngsters who are way too smart for conventional parental controls.
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