Empowering Individuals with Cyber Confidence: A Solution to Combat Cyberbullying

The third Friday in June is a globally recognized occasion known as Stop Cyberbullying Day. It’s a day designed to celebrate and advocate for a more inclusive and diverse online environment. The primary objective of this day is to combat online bullying and abuse, striving to create a safer and more inclusive online world. However, what if we shift our focus towards fostering cyber confidence instead?

Understanding Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a pervasive issue that occurs across various digital platforms and devices. It encompasses actions such as sending hurtful messages, sharing inappropriate photos or videos on social media, hacking accounts, and spreading malicious rumors online. Cyberbullying also extends to activities like excluding individuals from online groups or chats and instigating isolation from peer groups. Additionally, disclosing someone’s private information online falls under the category of cyberbullying. Instances of cyberbullying can transpire on social media, gaming platforms, email, instant messaging apps, and more.

Impacts of Cyberbullying

Subjecting individuals to repeated and unwarranted verbal and visual attacks has severe consequences. According to the Pew Research Center, 59% of teenagers in the United States admit to experiencing online bullying, threats, or harassment. Furthermore, a study by UNICEF reveals that 1 in 3 individuals between the ages of 13-24 across 30 countries has encountered some form of cyberbullying that led them to skip classes.

The effects of cyberbullying can be long-lasting, contributing to mental health issues, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. It can also hinder a person’s ability to reach their full academic potential. While it’s crucial to understand the repercussions of cyberbullying and how to defend against it, we can also take digital citizenship lessons a step further by instilling cyber confidence.

Teaching Cyber Confidence: Four Approaches

Today’s children are part of the generation that will shape the digital world’s future. Thus, it is imperative to boost their self-esteem, impart resilience, and promote self-care. Equally important is teaching them that how they treat others, both in real life and online, holds significance. Here are four ways to cultivate cyber confidence at home:

1. Modeling Expected Behavior: Set the example for your children by demonstrating the behavior you expect from them in both offline and online interactions. Encourage kindness, emphasizing that when everyone works together for a better internet, everyone benefits.
2. Encourage Reflection: Teach kids the importance of pausing and reflecting before reacting, especially when emotions run high. This practice helps them make better decisions regarding their words and message delivery, preventing regrets later on.
3. Utilize Negative Interactions as Learning Opportunities: Negative interactions can serve as powerful teaching moments. Children encounter both online and offline behaviors with negative undertones that endorse inappropriate conduct. Use these experiences as opportunities to engage in conversations about alternative responses and reframing negativity into positivity.
4. Empower Kids to Advocate for Themselves and Others: Often, children feel uncomfortable with situations around them but hesitate to stand up for themselves or their peers. Encourage your children to become “upstanders” who can influence and shift the conversation in a positive direction. Assure them that it’s perfectly acceptable to speak out against wrongdoings.

Recommended Resources for Teaching Cyber Confidence

Educating children about cyber confidence is an ongoing process that requires continuous communication to raise digitally empowered citizens. Here are three excellent resources that can help in this endeavor:

1. The Internet is Not Your Friend from Bitdefender: This resource offers valuable insights into internet security and cyberbullying. It equips parents with information to facilitate conversations with children, making them aware of various forms of cyberbullying and how to prevent them. Bitdefender also provides a free lesson on cyberbullying for teachers to use in classrooms.
2. Be Internet Awesome from Google: Google offers free resources designed to foster healthy and productive online interactions for children. “Be Internet Awesome” provides tools and information for parents and teachers to instill cyber confidence and manage family technology use. The online Interland game, part of this resource, enables kids to practice digital citizenship skills in a fun and interactive manner.
3. Common Sense Media: Common Sense Media offers free, age-appropriate digital citizenship lessons and activities. These resources are tailored for various grade levels, from K-2 to high school, and build a foundation for cyber confidence. Common Sense Media also provides valuable resources for parents.

What to Do If You Suspect Your Child Is a Victim of Cyberbullying

Despite our best efforts to educate and empower our children, there is still a possibility that they might fall victim to cyberbullying. If you suspect your child is experiencing cyberbullying, here are four steps to take:

1. Monitor Your Child’s Behavior: Keep a close eye on your child and be attentive to any changes in their behavior. Signs such as sleep disturbances, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, avoidance of regular friends, or declining academic performance may indicate a problem.
2. Trust Your Instincts: If you have a gut feeling that something is wrong, don’t ignore it. Trust your intuition, as it often proves to be accurate.
3. Initiate Uncomfortable Conversations: Don’t shy away from difficult conversations just because they might be uncomfortable. Ask your child about their experiences to gain insight into what’s happening.
4. Offer Support and Seek Professional Help: Let your child know that you are there to support them. Seek assistance from professionals, such as therapists, who can address the trauma caused by cyberbullying while bolstering your child’s self-esteem.

In recognition of Stop Cyberbullying Day on June 16th, Bitdefender encourages families to combat cyberbullying by countering negativity with praise. For every negative comment encountered online, share five positive comments. This initiative aims to balance the scales by promoting good digital citizenship and fostering cyber confidence.