Available research and experience suggest that cyberbullying may differ from more “traditional” forms of bullying in a number of ways (Willard, 2005), including:
- Cyberbullying can occur any time of the day or night.
- Cyberbullying messages and images can be distributed quickly to a very wide audience.
- Children and youth can be anonymous when cyberbullying, which makes it difficult (and sometimes impossible) to trace them.
Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
When it comes to public insults and harassment there is supposed to be no freedom of speech. Unfortunately, right now, Cyberbullying is a big loophole; it needs to be classified as slander and libel. The problem is that the Internet is a safe haven for bullies because of the anonymity. There is not a more cowardly way to bully someone then from behind a curtain. But parents are the key. Parents need to get involved in helping solve the cyberbullying problem. If parents cared enough about their child being the bully or passing along the material as much as they care when their child is a victim, it would be a huge step forward. But then, of course, how do you know if your child is involved in cyberbullying? You need to monitor their Internet activity. Monitoring software like our PC Pandora records everything that happens on the PC. If your child is a victim, you will know; if they are a bully, you will know. Whatever the case may be with your child (victim or bully), you need to intervene and teach them how to be a Responsible CyberCitizen. Check us out at pcpandora.com to see how you can be a part of the solution instead of a passive part of the problem.