Cyber-Threats

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A cyber threat is a message that creates concern about the writer using violence against himself, herself, or others, including suicide. Messages can be either explicit threats or clues as to the emotional stress of the individual and his or her willingness to commit these acts.

Prevent Your Child From Becoming A Cyber Bully Or A Target

  • Educate your family on the opportunities for education and for danger on the Internet in order to take advantage of its beneficial uses and protect your family from its dangers.
  • Keep the computer in a family room of your home, where there is lots of traffic, rather than in a private room.
  • Create clear and simple rules for Internet usage. A good example may be found at www.netsmartz.org.
  • Advise children that if they ever become a victim of cyber bullying, to not respond, save the material and report it.
  • Try to remain as anonymous as possible by withholding last names, contact information and financial information.
  • Remember that online not everyone is who they say they are.
  • Be aware that Internet service providers (ISP) such
    as AOL or RoadRunner do have rules of conduct. Violations may result in the temporary or permanent cancellation of service among other consequences.
  • Consider volunteering at your local library, school, or other organization to help young children online.
  • Discuss with your family the value of treating others how they would like to be treated both in person and online.
  • Point out that misconduct online can lead to grave consequences for others. You may explain to your children stories in the news of cyber bullies harming others in violent attacks or even suicide.
  • Cyber bullies may face criminal arrest, costly civil lawsuits, and/or severe long-term consequences for future education and career opportunities.
  • Ask your child to think of how their actions reflect on them.
  • Remind your child of the dangers of revealing personal information to others, especially online.
  • Remind your children that electronic postings are permanent. Each posting could continue to cause harm to others and potentially to their own future.

What To Do If Your Child Is A Target Of Cyber Bullying

  • Advise your child not to retaliate because it will likely make the situation worse.
  • Save the evidence and try to identify the cyber bully.
  • Tell the cyber bully to stop. Use a non-emotional, but assertive message.
  • Ignore the cyber bully. Block or filter all further communication, avoid the websites where he/she has been attacked, and change e-mail addresses, screennames and passwords.
  • Contact the websites used for attack, your ISP or your cell-phone company, and file a complaint.
  • Report the attacks to school administration. They can watch for additional bullying at school, check the cyber bully’s school Internet records, and contact the cyber bully’s parents.
  • Contact the police if the cyber bullying contains any of the following: threats of violence, coercion, obscene or harassing messages, stalking, hate crimes, creating or sending a sexually explicit picture, sexual exploitation, or taking a picture of someone in a private place.

The Effects Of Cyber Bullying On Children

Victims of cyber bullying may experience depression, low self-esteem, change of interests, or a drop in grades. These effects are similar to those felt by children who have been bullied in person, but with a click of a button cyber bullying can be farther reaching and more dangerous because it often occurs at home, violating the place where a child feels safest, and it may be harsher because cyber bullies believe that they are anonymous.

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