In our continuing series about what is bullying, we are now looking at the effect social media has on bullying. Social Bullying And Your Child may be a topic you never thought would be a concern, but in this generation of social media popularity, it has become one of the top sources of bullying. Social bullying isn’t just for social media, it is all about how bullying is propagated within social circles. Sadly, the advent of easy to access social media puts our children and ourselves in an ever precarious position where a bully can hide behind a computer screen to play out their attack.
SOCIAL BULLYING AND YOUR CHILD
What Is Social Bullying?
- Social bullying is often defined as an effort made to hurt another individuals reputation amongst their social peers
Types of Social Bullying:
- Rumors amongst peers
- Removal from peer groups
- Cyber Bullying
- Social Media Attacks
- Religious Persecution
- Ethnic Prejudice and Verbal Attack
Effects Of Social Bullying:
- Lack of Self Esteem
- Inability to perform well at school
- Thoughts of Suicide
- Lack of social skills
- Few friendships
- Desire to stay home bound and hidden from outside eyes
With the increase of social media popularity in the last ten years, social bullying and your child has become a concern many parents are facing daily. No longer is the fear only for in person peer groups choosing to ostracise an individual. We must now look at the many instances of social media pressure and bullying that have made it easy for the abuse to be far reaching. A child or adult can remove themselves from the peer group that is social bullying, but a move in physical distance may not remove them from the effect of social media and social bullying. With these new realities in mind, we as parents must stay ahead of the game and be proactive in protecting our children from social bullying via social media as well.
Have you dealt with social bullying with your child? How did you handle it?
