November is "Stop Bullying Month." But at Copy9, we think that bullying should be stopped every day. We have several teams that are trying to figure out how to use smart technology to stop bullying among kids and teens. These teams are focused on preventing bullying among kids and teens.
Today, we're going to take some time to talk about the different kinds of bullying, how dangerous it is, and what you can do if you find out that your child is being bullied.
Every parent should know the facts about bullying
- 90% of 4th–8th graders say they have been bullied.
- 1 in 6 high schoolers say they have been bullied online.
- Only 39% of high school students told an adult about bullying.
- 70% of students have seen bullying.
- Every day, more than 160,000 kids don't want to go to school because of bullying.
Types of Bullying
Physical bullying: Any type of bullying that involves a physical altercation is classified as physical bullying. This involves physical violence like punching, kicking, or tripping, as well as vandalism like tossing a classmate's books in the trash.
Verbal bullying: occurs both offline and online. Swearing and yelling obscenities at someone are also included. Joking about someone, either directly or indirectly, is considered bullying. Labeling someone as unattractive is part of it. Or fat. or offensive to the nose. Really, it could be anything.
Social bullying: This is one of the signs of bullying that can be harder to identify, but it’s just as damaging. Some examples of social bullying are making someone feel like an outcast by spreading rumors about them, imitating their bad behavior, or playing practical jokes on them.
Signs of Bullying
Is my kid a target of bullying? That is the perennial question for all parents. As well it should, of course. Sadly, any kid can become a victim of cyberbullying due to the widespread nature of the problem. For this reason, it is useful to have some idea of what to search for.
You should intervene if your child displays any of these behaviors related to bullying. Some symptoms may actually be warning indications of something more serious, like a health problem. Because of this, if you feel unwell, it's best to consult a doctor.
Unexplained injuries: Strange wounds Despite your best efforts to stop bullying at school, your child keeps coming home with unexplained injuries like scrapes and cuts. Some of these wounds could have been sustained in a freak football game incident, but if they keep cropping up, it might be because they're being bullied in the real world.
Missing personal items: Have they lost touch with some of their treasured possessions? How do they use their phone? That timepiece? What, some jewelry? A book? Someone may be intimidating them into giving up their possessions.
Change in eating habits: Change in eating habits One of the most telling indicators that my child is being bullied is a loss of appetite. The same can be said for chronic binge eating. Yes, we have guessed your thoughts.
How can I tell the difference between these two polar opposite indicators of bullying? Now, you should know that any abrupt shift in diet is cause for concern. It may indicate bullying or another problem with the individual's physical or mental health.
Difficulty sleeping:
Something keeping them awake? Or do they have a habit of waking up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason? It's possible that their anxiousness is affecting them. And that's when you should take a deep breath and say to yourself, "OK, my child is being bullied," and then do something about it.
Sleeping too much: Signs of being a bully victim include excessive sleepiness and a preference for daytime naps. It's true that many teenagers have a habit of sleeping in, but any significant shift in this habit should be investigated.
Social withdrawal: Has there been a dramatic shift in their social habits, with less interest in seeing friends and more time spent alone? Do they prefer to spend their time in front of the TV rather than interacting with their peers on weekdays and weekends? We recommend looking into any sudden or unusual retreat from social activities.
Suffering grades: The grades are suffering. How can I tell whether my kid is a target of bullying? So, if they've always done well in school but now they're struggling, that could be an indication of bullying. When children are bullied, whether in person or online, their emotional well-being suffers, which can have a negative impact on their ability to concentrate. Fail to concentrate and you fail to learn.
What to Do If You Find Out Your Child Is Being Bullied
If your child is bullied online, now that you know how to spot it, it's crucial that they know how to get help. If you talk to them ahead of time, they'll be ready to take action if they see bullying happening, which can help prevent it from getting out of hand.
Take a breather
Advise your child that if they experience any form of cyberbullying, they should immediately put down their phone and seek refuge elsewhere. While we don't recommend that you teach your child to ignore the bullying altogether, we do recommend that you encourage them to take a break from it whenever possible.
Don’t respond or retaliate
When someone hits you, your natural reaction may be to strike back. However, it's crucial to refrain from responding or retaliating immediately in cases of cyberbullying. There is a wide variety of bullying situations, and each calls for a unique reaction.
Avoid making hasty decisions until you've given yourself time to calmly consider your options. You certainly don't want your kid to internalize bullying and start bullying others as a result.
Take screenshots of any bullying messages
It may be necessary to have your youngster take screenshots of bullying if it is particularly egregious. Do not let your youngster show these screenshots to anybody else. As a method of preventing bullying, that fails miserably.
The screenshots should be saved in your kid's photo library. When the time comes to deal with the bully, they may need it as evidence.
Report them in the app
Bullying is increasingly common on social media platforms. It is not lost on the creators of these social networks. That's why a lot of them have systems in place to make it easier for victims of bullying to come forward.
Following a report, the website will look into the bullying indicators and take appropriate action. This could involve blocking the user temporarily (for an hour, a week, or a month), or permanently (for the rest of their lives).
Talk to a trusted adult
When children are bullied, they frequently feel isolated. And they frequently report that there are no effective means of stopping the bullying. Make sure your kids know they have your unconditional love and support at all times. Bullying is something they can always discuss with you.
If children feel uneasy opening up to you, suggest they find another adult they feel more at ease confiding in about the matter. Anyone from the bully's parents to a teacher or principal to a coach or administrator could be a potential ally in stopping the bullying.
The vast majority of people will not tolerate bullying of any kind and will step in to help prevent the problem from worsening.
How to Prevent Bullying
Encourage positive behavior
Being made aware that your child is being bullied is terrifying. But what if you find out that your child is the bully? Similarly terrifying is the opposite possibility. Which is why it's so crucial to instill good habits in children from a young age. When children have positive role models in their parents, they are more likely to study and grow.
Teach your children respect by modeling it in the grocery store. The bus driver deserves your gratitude as you exit the vehicle. It's the details that matter in the end. A child's perception of people can be influenced by what they see around them, which can assist prevent bullying.
Get a monitoring app like Copy9
Early detection is crucial in the fight against bullying. Furthermore, Copy9 is a useful program in this regard. The monitoring software has numerous tools to assist parents in the detection and prevention of bullying. So, let's have a look at what Copy9 can do.
- Recognize abusive behavior in online and offline communications. By using Copy9, you may spy on their conversations via private messaging apps like Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat—all places where cyberbullying is common. Any of their communications, including text messages, emails, and more, are also accessible to you. You'd be able to confront them directly about their bullying conduct if you saw signs of it in their messages.
- Ensure you are aware of any potential bullying. You can't stay one step ahead of them forever. To add insult to injury, you simply don't have the time to keep scrolling through their chats. It's fine with me if that's the case. Copy9 monitors their conversations and searches and notifies you of any suspicious terms. If you want to know if they've used the phrase "kill themselves" on their phone, for instance, you may set up a keyword alert in Copy9.
- Get a record of their web queries. Is the group trying to find answers to the problem of bullying? Is it that you need assistance, or are you looking for it? Or are you trying to get out of a sticky situation? Insights can be gleaned from their browsing history. And Copy9 allows you to monitor their web searches.
- Do whatever you want with your newfound ability to see. Knowing the signs of bullying isn't enough. One must be observant enough to detect bullying without drawing attention to themselves. They won't even realize you're monitoring their phone because Copy9 operates in stealth mode.
Save 45% on Copy9 for Bullying Prevention Month
We're committed to doing all we can to reduce instances of bullying and make parents more comfortable with their children's online activities. That's why if you buy Copy9 in the month of November, you'll get a special discount.
Because of its sophisticated design, Copy9 may be used successfully and undetected on any device. Even if it can't stop bullying completely, it can help you spot it before it gets out of hand.