I am sure by you now you heard the news that Kate Middleton and Prince William will be meeting with executives of Facebook and Twitter to discuss the issue of cyberbullying. As a mom of a teen boy who is active on social media, I am always worried about cyberbullying. I monitor my child’s activities, I discuss with him, I try to find signs that might reveal any cyberbullying problems. I keep my eyes open on for any news that is cyber bullying related. So when I heard that the royal couple is moving forward to raise awarness., I was delighted but wondered: will it help curb cyberbullying? Here is what I think.
Will Kate Middleton and Prince William help curb cyberbullying?
Before answering this tough question, let me examine the facts
- The royal couple is highly mediatised. They are very popular, and any news related to them goes viral on social media.
- Facebook and Twitter are two of the most popular social media sites. They are not the only social media sites used by teens. There is Instagram, Snapchat, etc.
- According to prevent.Ca, 94% of Canadian youth have a Facebook account
- 1 in 3 reports that they have been cyberbullied. Isn’t that huge? 1 in 3 kids. I was shocked when I read this.
- Meeting with these giants to discuss cyberbullying will be highly mediatised and will mostly go viral on social media.
This infographic speaks for itself
Now let me go back to the question: will the royal couple meeting with social media giants help curb cyberbullying?
There is not a right or wrong answer but here is what I think: any action that can help raise awareness about cyberbullying will help. ANY ACTION. Discussing with your child will help. Stars raising awareness will help. A highly popular royal couple teeming with the most popular social media sites will surely have an impact.
How will it help?
It will open discussion on social media. Teens will see that action. They will feel empowered.
Parents will take that time to discuss the good and bad behavior on social media with their teens and kids. The discussion is key to prevention. I try to take the time to discuss news related matters with my children. It helps them understand things and how life goes. Read our suggestion on how to help prevent cyberbullying. You can also encourage your teens to read one of these cyberbullying books.
Now the other tough question: Is it enough to stop cyberbullying?
Of course not! Stopping bullying, cyberbullying is a collective matter. Having the royal couple involved will help but as parents, educators we need to do our part. We need to raise awareness too. It starts inside our homes, around the dinner table. It starts with our kids: one kid at the time.
I hate that cyberbullying even exists, but I’m glad there are people out there to help combat it when needed.
1 in 3 kids? That’s a huge number!! I had no idea…I don’t know if Kate & William will be able to help curb the problem, but I do like that they are at least bringing some attention to it.
Cyberbullying is just awful. I so hope they’re able to really curb it!
This is my first time hearing about this. However, I do agree that there needs to be stronger voices to rally against this!
It’s so important that we as parents monitor. It is also important to notify people and don’t ignore cyber bullying when we see it.
I sure hope they will!! They both seem to have taken an interest in children and bullying and I hope they can use their influence to stop some of it!!
I understand that the Prince and Princess want to help cyberbullying, but have you ever read their media? They are often a country full of bullying. You can’t stop the online until you stop the offline.
I would love to see an end to all bullying. Both my kids were bullied and it was awful.
Cyber bullying is a huge issue these days. Kids have such an easy time getting access to the Internet. I think it is neat to see such high authoritative figures trying to take a stand on this.
That’s a good infographic. Cyber bullying really is no joke.
I think it’s great when celebrities come together to help top any form of bullying. Cyberbullying has become so real and such an issue lately.
Cyberbullying is very rampant because it does not show the faces of bullies and bullies get to express themselves freely online without paying a cent. I think parents and school administrators have the greatest strength in helping to curb cyberbullying.
You know what? I’m seeing a real lack of parenting when it comes to bullying. I don’t think it’s up to anyone besides parents to really teach our kids, and get them educated on why bullying isn’t and won’t be tolerated. I see such a lack of parental care when it comes to this – It’s sad.
I really hope they can help curb cyberbullying. It is terrible what kids go threw today. We were lucky to grow up without social media.
I personally think that they can make a difference in curbing the cyberbullying. They are very popular with everyone and they are great role models.. Just making parents aware can help too because awareness is most important.
It’s wonderful that such a highly influential couple is getting involved in cyberbullying. As a parent, this is a topic that concerns me and I am always discussing this with my girls.
Cyber bullying is such a terrible thing for kids. It’s bad enough when they get bullied in school or where ever, but not it has to be on the internet too?
It’s insane how big of a problem cyberbullying is. I think the couple will at least raise awareness to the issue.
Yes it is a topic of importance and the more education around it the better. Having Kate focus on it is probably a waste of her time, but perhaps whoever chose them thought that because they are younger, then maybe kids would be able to relate to them better.
They might be a strong voice to stop cyber bullying. That would be a great thing if they do it.
I’m so glad such high profile people are getting involved in the anti-bullying movement. It’s such a terrible epidemic.
I have a 4 year old and an 8 year and I am so scared that they are going to get cyber bullied one day :( It seems like now of days kids just can’t get away from it :(. I am happy to see influential people trying to make a difference.
Why can’t we all just get along? seriously. I hope they can do something to help because it’s gotta stop!