Almost every home now has internet access in one form or another, be it dial-up connection or broadband. If you have a family, your children may find the internet useful for keeping up with friends or doing their homework; but what else is happening behind the screens?
The vast number of blogs, social networking sites and free website space has led to an increase in a deplorable practice amongst children and teenagers; Cyberbullying. Taking the notion of schoolyard bullying one step further, Cyberbullying is causing distress and, in some cases, suicidal actions among adolescents today.
Cyberbullying takes many forms, all of which are designed to humiliate, upset and otherwise distress a bully's target. Perhaps the most well-known one is the malicious email or text message, the modern-day equivalent of the 'poison-pen' letter; the difference being an email or SMS can usually be traced much easier than a letter sent through the post.
Taking it a little further, ganging up on an individual in a chatroom or instant messenger conversation is a method often used by cyberbullies. Inviting several people into an IM chat to encourage, contribute or even just laugh at the bully 'having a go' at their target can be just as upsetting to the victim as the actual attack itself.
Going further than this, bullies may set up profile pages on network sites like Myspace and Facebook dedicated to slamming or humiliating their victim. These profiles are sometimes written as if from the victim's point of view, revealing embarrassing and often untrue facts about the person. Others may contain embarrassing videos or pictures of the victim, usually edited in a photo editing program.
Some bullies will take their hate campaigns to the lengths of actually setting up an entire website about their victim; the advent of free website and blog services has exacerbated this. The victim often has no idea about the existence of such a website, and is left to wonder why people are laughing behind her/his back or making cryptic comments.
With broadband becoming cheaper, more families are getting internet and leaving their children open to cyberbullies. Some broadband deals may offer monitoring software to allow you to see what your child gets up to online. Compare broadband packages with your child's safety in mind and stop the cyberbullies.
