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Did you know that October is National Bullying Prevention Month? If you’re a teacher, you have tremendous power to help prevent online bullying before it starts and to stop it if it does. That power lies in giving students and parents the tools they need to take the problem seriously and protect themselves. Here’s the two-pronged approach to education you can use to change students’ lives for the better.
How to Prevent Cyberbullying
An ounce of cyberbullying prevention is definitely worth a pound of the cure, so it’s essential to make sure that your students know how to protect themselves from online aggression. Much of this involves not making it unnecessarily easy for bullies to attack. Adapt these online bullying prevention tips and others for students by age group:
Protect all of your passwords for digital platforms carefully.
(For teens): Never post any pictures of yourself online that you wouldn’t be comfortable sharing with everyone you know or meet, or that could be used against you in the future. Similarly, think through your messages before you post them, and don’t post any for which these criteria could apply.
Never open unidentified or unsolicited messages (which may contain other dangers besides bullying messages, such as scams or malware).
Set up privacy controls for all of your online accounts to limit who can see and interact with you.
Look for and remove your personal information from all search engines.
Never retaliate by becoming a cyberbully yourself.
How to Stop Cyberbullying
Similarly, even if you’re personally unaware of ongoing cyberbullying in your students’ lives, you can teach them useful strategies for stopping it once it has started (again, adapted for age-appropriateness):
Block the offender from contacting you.
If your bully opens a new account to reach you from, consider reporting them to the platform you’re using. This may put them in danger of having their account suspended, which may put a stop to their behavior.
Alternatively, you can try to ignore the bully. Some bullies will stop bothering you if you don’t react, and those with a short attention span may simply get bored and move on.
Get your parents or teachers involved. They may be able to help you find a solution and offer moral support.
How to Have Maximum Impact on Student Cyber Safety
The best way to get key information about cyberbullying prevention and protection to every student in your school is to invite an expert on the subject to give a presentation at a school assembly. They may be able to get through to kids in ways that are sometimes difficult to do in the classroom.
Teach Kids Cybersecurity Awareness With Net Positive
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens and leaders. We accomplish this by providing evidence-based programs with a focus on those that improve academic engagement, build character, and improve healthy behaviors.
Our Net Positive Program educates K-12 students about digital safety, health, citizenship, and leadership. After participating in our program, students are 97% better prepared to face internet dangers. Contact us to learn more and ask your school to schedule a Net Positive Presentation today!
References
Center, C. R. (n.d.). Preventing Cyberbullying: Top ten tips for teens. Cyberbullying Research Center. https://cyberbullying.org/preventing-cyberbullying-top-ten-tips-for-teens
Patchin, J. W. (2023). Teens Talk: What works to stop Cyberbullying. Cyberbullying Research Center. https://cyberbullying.org/teens-talk-works-stop-cyberbullying