Mobile bullying is a growing concern for parents. What follows is MMGuardian’s list of tactics to keep your kids safe from mobile bullying:
If any phrase defines mobile technology, it’s “24/7 Connectivity.” But, 24/7 is also responsible for serious new problems arising from tech, especially bullying.
While I’m quite sure that, all the way back in 5,000 B.C., kids bullied one another with rocks and sticks, I’m equally certain that mobile technology has completed changes bullying’s dynamics from anything we’ve seen in the past – for the worse. Simply put, kids get no rest.
Now, with many kids using more than one device nearly every waking hour of the day, parents must find a way to block their kids’ devices from bullying attacks. There are a few ways to do this that we find effective.
And parents are beginning to ask the toughest question: how can I shut down the cyber-bullying that is hurting my child? Luckily, while difficult, there are solutions.
First, communicate
Only 25% of children nationally tell a parent they are being bullied. If you make yourself a safe resource for your child and show them that you care about their problems, will not blame them, and will commit to being part of the solution, you can earn a spot in that coveted 25%.
Second, reinforce communication.
MMGuardian enables parents to set up alerts on their children’s phones, so, if their child receives bullying messages, they instantly become aware of it.
For example, if a parent wants to know if their child receives messages containing potentially bullying words like “gay,” the parent can set that word up for an alert using MMGuardian’s system. If that word appears in their child’s texts, the parent is notified and can take action.
Out there, mobile bullying is only getting worse. But in your own family, you can make a positive difference.
