This evening, 60 Minutes in Australia features a special report on the cyber bullying and the effects that it is having on children, their parents and the wider community.
In a world that is controlled by the wider media we know as the internet, these offenders are becoming more and more common around classrooms, schools and your local community. Once upon a time there was a way to escape that hell these people put on children, but now it can continue 24/7 in every home, around the world.
I choose to feature a news post dedicated to this issue as it can effect us all, especially to people that spend their lives and time on the computer. Bulling via the internet, your mobile phone or social network is not uncommon, but there are ways to prevent it happening to you.
- Make sure you report any offenses to the website or mobile service provider. This way, the organization is aware of the issues at hand, and will deal with the offenders within the space of the bullying.
- Make sure you have strong passwords and password protection on all your networks. Bullies that are computer literate can could gain access to your network and inflict more harm.
- Block or Delete any users that abuse you in any form
Parents need to take a proactive approach to this form of bullying. Parents have little to no understand about the communities we all engage in online, its a virtual world. But by been proactive to take the approach of accepting these worlds and finding out more is a step in the right direction. By saying "You don't need Myspace, turn it off" is NOT going to help!
In Australia, our laws when it comes to this form of abuse are fucked. They ain't going to help anyone that is abused via the internet. As young Australian's growing up in this digital age, we need to shape the way our laws are been proactive when it comes to this issue!
Unfortunately, we all have played a part in the problem in the past, but now its time to play a part in the solution.