Solutions to Cyber Bullying

Cyber bullying as it has been observed from surveys that have been conducted in the past has become a menace in the society and many kids are falling victim to this particular vice. There are also numerous negative impacts which have been identified regarding cyber bullying and to an extent have been seen to result in deaths. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the various stakeholders to take up the initiative to curb this menace of cyber bullying unless the world wants to have a new generation of human beings that do not care about each other. However, with the continued technological developments, curbing cyber bullying is like trying to cure a disease in one infected individual while leaving the source of the disease which means no wok done hence the source should be handled first.

Significance of Cyber bullying

          There have been major developments in the world on terms of technology and technological uses within the society (Shariff, 2008). In many households, the access to mobile phones as well as computers have become a norm and hence increasing the risk involved in terms of cyber bullying on kids. The technological development has also come with its negative effects. One of the negative effects as it has been noted is that too much time is wasted by kids on the electronic devices and especially when using the internet. This increases the chances of them becoming a target to cyber bullying.

Apart from the issue of time wastage, the other issue that has been identified is that the parenting role that parents play has been greatly neglected by many and this leaves the kids very vulnerable to issues such as cyber bullying among other vices in the society (Vandebosch, Poels, & Deboutte, 2014). It is important to note that a solution or various solutions are needed to address the problem considering that it has serious negative impacts on the victims as well as their families and the society in the long run. Cyber bullying if left without a solution can bring other problems in the society such as rise in criminal activities among kids, lack of education for those kids that are affected or have become victims among other issues (McGuckin, et al., 2013).

Recommendations

          As it has been observed, there are numerous negative impacts of cyber bullying on the kids and even their families. However, there are several ways that can be used as part of the solution towards this problem of cyber bullying within the society (Vandebosch, Poels, & Deboutte, 2014). As it has been noted, there are numerous harmful effects of cyber bullying on the kids and in return on the whole society hence it is important to curb the situation. The following are some of the recommendations towards curbing the issue of cyber bullying, especially for the parents and guardians of the kids:

It is recommended that parents should take the initiative to be on top of things regarding the use of the internet by their kids (Shariff, 2008). It is important that every parent should know the particular sites that their kids are visiting as well as the activities that they perform while online (McGuckin, et al., 2013). The parent should ask the kids what exactly they are doing, the exact places they go as well as the people they are associating with. This will prevent the increase in the number of perpetrators of cyber bullying.

Secondly, it is important that the guardians or the parents of the kids should often talk to their children and inform them that it is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to take a review of what the children are doing online and the kind of communication they have online (McGuckin, et al., 2013). As part of reviewing their communication, it would be advisable to install software for parental control which will simply help in filtering communication as well as control which sites the kids visit and which ones that they are not allowed to visits (Vandebosch, Poels, & Deboutte, 2014). However, it is not solely advisable to rely on the software but instead actually reviews in person should be done regularly. This will keep the kids away from engaging in cyber bullying and also protect those that may be victims.

The other solution that can be applied as a way of curbing cyber bullying is through being part of the social groups the children “follow.” It is advisable that a parent or guardian should “follow” or even “friend” their children on the social sites. This will allow keeping of tabs on their activities and be able to handle any issues of cyber bullying before they go overboard (McGuckin, et al., 2013).

Last but not least, it is recommended that parents and guardians should be able to encourage their kids to always talk about any harmful activities or if they tend to experience any kind of bullying or they know someone that is experiencing cyber bullying (Vandebosch, Poels, & Deboutte, 2014). The kids should be able to confide in the parents or the guardians so that any cases can be handle in time. It is also the duty of the parents or guardians to report to the authorities if they find any activities of cyber bullying. Finally, the government should also put up strict laws regarding cyber bullying in addition to the phone companies or internet providers to have strict policies that can protect kids from cyber bullying (McGuckin, et al., 2013).

Conclusion

          Cyber bullying is a vice in the society that has serious impacts on the kids as well as their families and therefore finding a solution to the problem will go a long way in changing the society. However, with the continued technological developments, it is becoming quite difficult for parents, guardians and even the government as a stakeholder to curb the problem. The most important thing is for parents and guardians as well as teachers in schools to watch out for signs of cyber bullying and always advise the kids to report any suspicious activities that may lead to cyber bullying.

References

McGuckin, C., Perren, S., Corcoran, L., Cowie, H., Dehue, F., Ševčíková, A., … & Völlink, T. (2013). Coping with cyberbullying: How can we prevent cyberbullying and how victims can cope with it.

Shariff, S. (2008). Cyber-bullying: Issues and solutions for the school, the classroom and the home. Routledge.

Vandebosch, H., Poels, K., & Deboutte, G. (2014). SCHOOLS AND CYBERBULLYING: PROBLEM PERCEPTION, CURRENT ACTIONS AND FUTURE NEEDS. International Journal of Cyber Society and Education, 7(1), 29-48.