As children and adolescents have become increasingly isolated from their support systems at home and at school — exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic — they have become more vulnerable to threats such as cyberbullying and predatory behavior online, according to an article in EdSource.
In 2022, 21.6% of students who were bullied said the bullying happened online, nearly 6 percentage-points higher than reports of being bullied online in 2019, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey. About a third of victims blocked their bully online, and only about a tenth told their parents about the incident, according to a 2021 survey by the National Crime Prevention Council
Lawmakers and school administrators across the country are tackling online safety and well-being with policies such as banning cellphones in schools and restricting addictive algorithms on children and teenagers’ social media feeds. Prevention and intervention start with adults — parents, teachers and school counselors — interacting with kids on a daily basis, says Fareedah Shaheed, a children’s online safety expert.
“I see the real change in those interpersonal relationships between (educators) and parents, people exchanging information they can use to start talking to (each other),” says Shaheed. “I believe the biggest impact is on the ground.”
Shaheed offers these tips:
- Advise parents to prioritize safe spaces, accountability, fun and empathy to protect kids online.
- Hold discussions about mental health resources and helping students create a community around a shared problem, such as an after-school program for those experiencing bullying.
- Many school counselors can have a closer relationship with the student because there is a degree of separation: “You’re not my parent, and you’re not trying to control my life.” Counselors can have an easier time assuming the experienced friend role in some circumstances.
- Kids were often told, “Don’t share pictures of yourself with other people, especially strangers.” Now with AI it doesn’t matter if you don’t share (photos), someone can create something that looks real. You have to act like everyone has been in this situation — anyone can experience extortion — and have mental health (resources) for those who are experiencing or experience this at some point.
- You don’t have to know more than your kids – being tech savvy or hip to the new slang — to protect them. Predators want parents to be in the dark. They’re saying, “We want parents who don’t know what their kids are going through emotionally.” They want parents who struggle with mental illness themselves, lack support or resources and feel isolated. The resources that help protect kids are also support for parents — financial, self-care, mental health.
- Schools must have students be part of the cellphone use decision, otherwise you’ll have a lot of friction. If students are part of the decision, you understand how students are using the cellphone and how they can use it in a way that’s according to the policy and what’s best for them.
- Schools can help identify online interactions that could be unsafe or outside the norm by giving students the tools to solve a problem that they don’t see. The adults are not in control of what happens. Counselors can provide educational programs about mental health resources, talking through online scenarios and explaining the tools (students) can use to deal with a situation so that they can, one, identify it for themselves, and then two, know how to self-regulate.
- There should be resources for students when they need to talk about a situation and provide that support. It should be normal to have these conversations in school, letting students hear different stories from other people, teaching them red flags and how to identify their own discomfort.
- To introduce young children to the online world in a positive way — when children are younger than 7 or 8 — it’s all about play and their association with you and play. Be there with them in the environment, make eye contact and engage with them. Sensical, from Common Sense, is an organization that has screen time suggestions based on age that are fun and joyful.
- As children get older, parents and educators can introduce more teaching concepts. For some digital literacy resources and activities, you have FBI Safe Online Surfing, Google’s Be Internet Awesome and Net Smartz Kids.
- Fun is one of the most underrated ways to protect kids online and help them with screen time too. It doesn’t matter if the online activity is the greatest activity in the world, if a teacher is stressed out, in what way can you find fun in the activity? For early educators like preschool teachers and kindergarten teachers, ask, “What do you need? What are you seeing? What is your capacity? What is the kids’ capacity? What are their ages, their background?” Then customize a solution for them.
- Educators should not shy away from technology.
EdSource
