How to Protect Your Kids from
CYBERBULLYING
O
By Tanni Haas, Ph.D.
ne of parents’ greatest fears is that their kids world is the best way for you to notice if something
will become the victims of cyberbullying, is wrong.” Research shows that parents who don’t
and for good reason: research shows that monitor their kids’ online behavior are more likely
almost half of all middle and high school students are to be unaware that their kids are being cyberbullied.
cyberbullied at some point. If that’s the case, what can There are many ways to monitor what your kids are
you do to protect your kids? doing online, including setting up their online accounts
First, monitor your kids’ online behavior on a regular
basis and pay close attention to which sites they’re
on, who they interact with, and the nature of their
interactions. As Sarah Brown, an expert on children’s
use of technology, says “Being familiar with their online
together with them so that you know their usernames
and passwords, creating Google Alerts with your
kids’ names, installing monitoring software on their
devices, and requiring them to allow you to “friend” or
“follow” them online.
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