It’s estimated that 20 to 40 per cent of children and youth in Canada experience online bullying. (iStock)

Cyberbullying: prevention and help from Red Cross

School is out for the summer in Canada and that means children and youth have more time to go online and perhaps a greater risk of being bullied on social media. The Canadian Red Cross offers several programs to help them and their parents prevent and deal with cyberbullying.

It’s estimated that between 20 and 40 per cent of children and youth in Canada have experienced online bullying. And the effects can be severe and long-lasting.

Alison Richard says there are many ways parents can help children cope with cyberbullying.

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Bullying can affect physical and mental health

“We can see physical manifestations…(like)…things like stomach aches or headaches that seem to come out of nowhere,” says Alison Richard, senior advisor on education at the Canadian Red Cross. “Youth who are being targeted by bullying tend to withdraw. So, they may no longer be engaged with their peers or they may not be interested in activities that used to bring them joy.

“We see mental health impacts like depression, anxiety. So, some really serious things and they can also follow youth into adulthood, so, can have long-lasting impacts as well.”

Parents can get advice on how to support their children in the event they are bullied online. (iStock)

Children and youth may not tell

Youth sometimes don’t tell parents about cyberbullying out of fear they may overreact and restrict access to the internet. So, Richard says it’s important for parents to be calm and to start having conversations early about healthy relationships in real life and online, and to discuss what to do if they become abusive.

Red Cross courses advise those who are bullied online to stop engaging with the bully, block them, tell parents or others and save screen shots of the abuse. Incidents can be reported to apps or to internet providers. In extreme cases, the bullying can be reported to police.

Damage caused to children by cyberbullying can persist into adulthood. (iStock)

Self-esteem may be hurt

Parents can get additional support for their children if they think they need it. Richard emphasizes that parents should remind them the bullying is not their fault and help bolster their self-esteem.

Parents also can take steps to ensure their own children are not perpetrators. Richard says they should help children understand the impacts of what they say online, and ask them to put themselves in the place of those receiving hurtful comments they may post.

There are teachable moments that come up when cyberbullying comes up in news stories or in movies and series. And teens can be reminded there may be legal consequences of online abuse.

Discuss early and often, advises Richard

The Canadian Red Cross courses and tools to help prevent and deal with bullying are offered for free.

“We think it’s really, really important,” says Richard. “If we look at the impacts, we know they’re harmful across all kinds of different health factors—mental, physical, emotional health…We know that these effects can follow us into adulthood…

“It’s really important that we have these conversations early and…often so that we’re able to change these behaviours.”

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