Using Cellphones for Good: 6 Tools to Combat Cyberbullying
When parents want to protect their kids from cyberbullying, they often feel overwhelmed. Not only was cyberbullying not an option in the pre-tech days, it’s also hard for parents to keep up with current apps and trends, especially when the changes in this digital landscape are faster than your kid’s Wi-Fi.
To help, we’ve created a list of the six most useful online tools to help give your child piece of mind while also keeping them safe:
Cyberbullying Hotline app can communicate anonymously with their school’s administration. It creates a unique phone number where you can report violence, theft, harassment, bullying, or any other concerning or inappropriate behavior, and the guaranteed anonymity means your child won’t be caught “tattling,” and they can feel confident reaching out to their school for help.
The I Am A Witness campaign was created to help kids call out cyberbullying, and consists of a specially designed emoji. It’s a way to say “I see what you’re doing, and it’s not okay.” Users can reply to bullying and harassing comments with the emoji, and it signals to others that negative behavior will not go by unnoticed. The I Am A Witness movement is uniting and empowering those committed to stopping others who choose to be mean online.
The STOPit app is another great way to anonymously report bullying, harassment, and any other inappropriate behavior at school, work, and everywhere in between. Born from the idea that no one should endure bullying and everyone should feel safe reporting it, STOPit is a seamless way to reach out right from your phone when necessary.
Sit With Us lets you find your place in the lunch room, library, and beyond while promoting a kinder, more inclusive community. You can also take the pledge to become an Ambassador, someone who is an upstander and welcomes anyone and everyone to join their lunch crew. Making new friends is hard enough, and it can be such a relief to know that, at the very least, you have a place at the table.
Instagram’s Comment Filter feature is located right on the app, which is one of the most popular with tweens and teens. But it’s also rife with cyberbullying. Of course, you and your child can always delete mean comments and bullying on their posts, but you can also stop it before it happens. One way is to use their comment feature filter. You can choose words that act as a filter and, if used, the comment never even posts. Deleting negativity is a great way to combat cyberbullying and harassment, but stopping it at the source is even better.
The Facebook’s Bullying Prevention Hub is an all-in-one page that helps kids, parents, and educators with questions and concerns about online bullying that occur through Facebook Messenger. Through privacy and security checkups, information about online well-being, and tips on bullying prevention, this hub is a great resource for anyone who needs help with their profiles and interactions.
Parenting can be tough, but finding the resources to help shouldn’t be tough to find.
To keep up to date with the latest and greatest in navigating your child’s safety in the ever-changing, ever-expanding online space, you can connect with our private facebook group, Parenting in a Tech World.