While remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lowered reported instances of bullying, parents fear that, for some students, being back at school means back to being bullied.
Brianne Jennison, a mother to three children in Canandaigua, New York, said, “You drop them off at school and you worry about what's happening. Are they safe? Are they being bullied?”
Efforts to increase bullying awareness, such as National Bullying Prevention Month in October, have expanded to include the threat of cyberbullying. Technology’s ever-greater presence in children’s lives allows cyberbullies to taunt, harass and threaten relentlessly with just a click. Cyberbullies can at once anonymously reach their victims in their own homes via cellphone or computer. As a result, victims report feeling hopeless, isolated and even suicidal.
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“Bullying has always been an issue, but this takes it to another level,” Brianne’s husband, Eric, said. “It's a challenge for us as parents because we didn't deal with it as kids. We haven't had experience with cyberbullying.”
What can parents do to protect their kids? Taking an interest in their children’s online world can make a difference, says the National Parent Teacher Association.
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This interest does not necessarily require parents to become tech experts. Instead, the federal stopbullying.gov site advises parents to watch for subtle clues that something is wrong, such as their child becoming withdrawn, hiding their screen when others are nearby or reacting emotionally to what’s happening on their device.
For the Jennisons, this has meant being aware of how each of their children “normally” behaves so they can detect any problems. According to Brianne, if one of them is acting differently, it’s an indication that “something deeper below the surface is going on.”
Talking with kids openly—and often—helps too. “The more you talk to your children about bullying, the more comfortable they will be telling you if they see or experience it,” UNICEF says in its online tips for parents.
“If you don't have open dialogue, when things are tough for them, they're not going to be willing to open up to you,” Eric said. “It’s important to have constant, open communication, on the good days and the bad days, so they're more apt to open up to you when there are issues.”
The Jennisons have found that spending quality time together as a family every day has created an atmosphere in which their children feel comfortable approaching them to talk about anything.
Beyond talking, listening and observing their kids, experts say parents shouldn’t be afraid to make and enforce rules for online activities. “We try to be balanced,” Brianne said. “We want to give them some freedom, but always make safety a priority.”
The Jennisons have set rules appropriate for their children’s ages. Their 5-year-old son uses Brianne’s tablet with a parent present to watch videos or communicate with family. Their 11-year-old son has his own cellphone and tablet, and their 8-year-old daughter has a tablet that she can only use from home. They have the freedom to use their devices in their bedrooms but must keep their doors open. To minimize danger, the Jennisons know who their children contact and when they’re communicating with someone. They have also educated their children on internet safety, who know not to have chat features turned on in games or communicate with strangers.
“We're not over their shoulder, but we check in from time to time to see what they're looking at,” Eric said.
Their children said they understand these precautions. “I know it's for my own good,” their 11-year-old son said. “It's to protect me.”
The Jennisons also cited tips and reminders they’ve considered together as a family from free resources available on jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses. “As parents, you want to protect your children, and we view jw.org as an added layer of protection. It helps us as we deal with these new situations,” Eric said.
The Jennisons’ children especially recommend one of the site’s short animated videos, “That's helped me to know what I can do and that I'm not alone,” the Jennison’s daughter said.
“The website is a great resource—for parents to have these discussions with their kids and for kids that are afraid to speak up or don't know how to proceed. It can do wonders to make raising your kids much easier,” Brianne said. “It’s invaluable.”
For More Information
Watch the animation: Beat a Bully Without Using Your Fists
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JW.ORG® presents the worldwide scope of the Witnesses’ outreach programs and provides articles, videos and interactive features for families, teens and children in over 1,000 languages.
