The Age of (Cyber) Bullying: How can parent's protect their children from cyber bullying

 In October of 2006, 13-year-old Megan Meier hung herself in the closet when a ‘boy’, Josh Evans, she was corresponding with online told her ‘the world would be a better place’ without her.

The only twist? Josh Evans was not a real boy but a mother of one of her former friends who wanted to get back at Meier for spreading rumours about her daughter.

Before you shrug the story off, with an “Aiyah, such things only happen in the US,” it’s interesting to note that according to a 2006 survey done in Singapore, 25 percent of 3,488 students shared that they had experienced online harassment before. On a per-capita basis, this is the most compared to all other countries except the United States.

Types of Cyberbullying

Here are some common types of cyberbullying that your child may be experiencing: 

1. Harassment

Harassment occurs when a bully uses electronic communication to deliver offensive and threatening messages to his or her target. Several people may team together to send the victim thousands of SMS at once.

2. Impersonation

Impersonation occurs when someone creates a fake profile in another person’s name or hacks into another person’s account. The cyber bully impersonates his or her victim on the internet, ruining the victim’s reputation.

3. Flaming

Flame wars occur when people exchange “angry, unpleasant, or vulgar [electronic] communications” repeatedly.

4. Denigration

By releasing fake information or rumors online, denigration attempts to ruin the victim’s reputation or destroy friendships.

5. Exclusion

By disseminating incorrect information or rumors online, denigration attempts to harm the victim’s reputation or friendships.

6. Outing

When a cyber bully uses technological methods to publicly “[publish] private information without permission with the goal to harm” the victim, this is referred to as “outing.”

7. Trickery

After obtaining the material, the cyber bully would use it against the victim by publicly disclosing it to others “in an attempt to shame the victim.” Two types of cyberbullying that usually occur simultaneously are outing and trickery.

8. Cyber Stalking

This is a kind of harassment. Cyber bullies frequently send their victims scary and frightening electronic messages. Victims may become fearful of “the intimidator moving offline and physically attacking them,” making them suspicious of their surroundings.

Cyberbullying law Philippines

Here are Philippine laws that cover Cyberbullying law in the Philippines.

The 2013 Anti-Bullying Act (RA 10627)

This rule applies to all forms of bullying at school, including student-to-student bullying and social media comments.

As defined, “bullying” is any severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal, or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of actually causing or placing the latter in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or property damage; creating a hostile environment at school; infringing on another’s rights; or materially or substantially disrupting another’s life.

These activities are referred to as “cyberbullying” when they occur online (Sec. 2-D, RA 10627). This encompasses social bullying, which seeks to humiliate another individual or group, as well as gender-based bullying, which humiliates someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, whether perceived or actual. (Section 3, B-1 of RA 10627, Implementing Rules.)

Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act

Anyone who publicly or maliciously imputes to another a crime, vice, defect, real or imagined, or any act, omission, condition, status, or circumstance likely to cause dishonor, discredit, or contempt of a natural or juridical person, or to tarnish the memory of a deceased person, is liable for libel under this Code.

In addition to the legal action for damages that the affected person may initiate, these violations are more severely punished when committed online. (RA 10175 Implementing Rules, Section 4(c-4) Cyberlibel only holds the original author of the post responsible (Section 5(3)). Likers and sharers of a post are not held liable under this statute.

Slander can also refer to someone who makes highly defamatory remarks about another person in a fit of rage. Intriguing Against Honour may also be used when the primary purpose is to smear a person’s honor or reputation (Art. 358, RPC). It is required that the post be addressed to a specific person (Art. 364, RPC). As a result, a social media item that isn’t labeled is less actionable than one that is.

Civil Code on Damages

A person who has been harmed by a defamatory post on social media may seek relief under the Civil Code’s Damages provisions. (Article 2176 of the Civil Code) A person who writes on social media and harms another’s reputation may be liable for damages, and this may constitute a legal cause of action.

Such positions must have a tendency to invade another’s privacy and peace of mind, meddle or disrupt another’s private life or family relations, plot to alienate another from his friends, or vex or humiliate another because of his religious beliefs, lowly station in life, place of birth, physical defect, or other personal condition. (Article 26 of the Civil Code)

READ MORE: 

5 ways to explain “Internet Safety” to a child

Dangerous online games and apps to avoid for your children

Cyberbullying causes depression, nightmares and anorexia, study says

Cyberbullying effects on children

1. Observe your child’s behavior

How do you know if your child is being bullied online? Mr. Effendy Ibrahim, Norton’s Family Online Safety expert and father of 4 boys, tells parents to look out for these signs.

Has he become quieter recently? Has he become more withdrawn lately? Does he glance wearily at the computer or quiver in fright whenever someone switches it on?

2. Avoids gatherings, social events & school activities

The fear of mingling is something that bullied victims go through. If you spot signs of your child refusing to attend gatherings or becoming sullen in social events, then this might be a silent cry for help. Do not shelve this as shyness.

3. Do you notice your child becoming frustrated after logging off?

What he is facing online can bring about frustration, moodiness, and even aggression. Unable to deal with the situation where he has become a victim, your child may be taking out his frustrations on his younger siblings, in order to be able to control actions and situations.

4. Slipping Grades

This is possibly one of the most common signs when it comes to bullying, be it playground bullying or cyber-bullying. Children often lose focus due to the insistent worrying that they are harboring over the bully.

Check your child’s work or have a chat with his teacher to see how he’s been doing so far and if there has been any noticeable slip in his work.

5. Closing browsers & switching pages

Does your child immediately close the browser or switch to another page when you walk into the room? This may not be noticeable at first so try to see if it occurs anytime someone walks in. This can be a sign that your child is hiding something which can be anything from pornography to coming abuse, so this is definitely a sign to look out for.

So you’ve spotted the signs, now what?

Well according to Mr James Fang, General Manager of IT security firm Trend Micro, you should take the following steps.

Cyberbullying: Parents what to do

Protect your family’s network of computers

You don’t have to place your child’s computer in an open space anymore. You can still give him his freedom while remotely protecting the computer by using home network protection systems.

For example, the Trend Micro’s Home Network Protection system includes parental control capabilities which block your child from 20 categories of harmful web content while easily controlling the day and time when your child can access the Internet.

Agree on websites your kids can visit

Create a list of websites that your child would like to access. Only allow sites that are age-appropriate without negative or malicious content.

Download a free website reputation service and visit each of the websites on your list to see if they are safe from digital security threats.

This type of service will also continuously provide you with information indicating if a site visit is free from any malicious software that may get installed on your computer without your knowledge.

Use website filtering

Use security software with parental control features such as URL filtering to ensure your child does not see or access sites that you do not wish him or her to see. Even a harmless search for a “bunny” may turn up the inappropriate playboy version.

Educate kids about what they should not disclose online

Children may share their personal details such as school or home address with their best friends as it is a sign of trust to tell each other their details at a young age.

While it is important to educate your child not to disclose details to strangers, it is easier to install software that ensures Data Theft Protection. Thus, when your child unknowingly discloses his address online, the receiving party will only receive garbled text instead.

Electronic pathways can be just as dangerous as back alleys

Just as there are bad people lurking around in the real world, there are those who mean harm to your child online. When you teach your child not to talk to strangers on the streets, you need tell them that they do not have to acknowledge or respond when they get messages from strangers online.

Kids’ web video viewing

Parental discretion must be applied when your child views websites that stream entertaining videos. Even though most of the popular sites prohibit pornography and violence, there are videos that are not suitable for younger children that end up on the Internet.

Venture into the online playground

Spend some quality time with your child and learn about the latest games and websites that he or she loves to access. By playing together with your child in the online world, you will be able to observe how your child behaves online and whether the content is age-appropriate.

Cyber-bullying is not uncommon, it can be stopped and there is no room for blame here only safety measures. Communicate your concerns to your child before he gets well acquainted with the web. Talk about cyber-bullying with your children before it happens. You can create a safe environment for your child’s online experience.

To find out more about cyberbullying, do visit Dontcyberbully.com which was started by Mr Gilbert Goh, 47, a Singaporean English teacher. He was catalyzed into starting the website after spending time in Australia where he read about a girl having committed suicide because of cyberbullying.

Additional information from Margaux Dolores