Parents and caregivers who are not sure how to curb cyberbullying are being urged to rethink their own use of social media.
“It is the adults’ responsibility to teach good practice… adults really need to step up and start shouldering their responsibilities by using social media properly. I think there is a lot of misuse by adults,” according to Phillip Slee, an expert in child development and bullying.
He was speaking following a discussion on best practice to combat violence and bullying at the National School Support Services headquarters in Ħamrun.
Those present, who work with victims of bullying and alleged perpetrators in schools, noted that schoolchildren felt that while they could try to deal with face-to-face abuse, online bullying seemed completely out of their control.
We are always playing catch up with online abuse
Some educators and counsellors have also reached out to parents, who were left “petrified” by the risks of uploading photos on social media. Still, they are unsure whether raising awareness among parents will curb such behaviour.
Cyberbullying makes educators “feel at a loss”, with reported figures of abuse continuing to increase. Online bullying is pervasive and children could be bullied in the safety of their bedroom, unbeknown to their carers.
“We are always playing catch up with online abuse, because it continues to evolve,” one noted.
Prof. Slee told the Times of Malta that the local educators’ comments reflected concerns in Australia, while students have also commented that they felt powerless when it comes to cyberbullying.
At the same time, social media also has a positive side to it, with users being able to connect quickly and over long distances, he said.
But there was definitely a need for more education, particularly among young people learning how to regulate their behaviour, he added.
Prof. Slee noted that the “distancing and anonymity factor” on social media separated people from their own actions, and, therefore, direct responsibility fizzled out.
“If I call someone bad names to their face, they can say and show me the insult hurt them. If I do that on social media, I can be less responsible because of distance and anonymity.”
Education needs to be backed up with resources, which the federal government in Australia has done, among others, through the setting up of the eSafety Commissioner’s Office.
This particular office has been endowed with particular powers, such as taking down items off social media.