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As parents, we have an innate desire to protect and empower our children as they grow and become successful human beings. Today, parenting their daily interactions means also parenting their digital lives. One rising concern surrounding digital parenting is cyberbullying. All too frequently we hear about the serious consequences of cyberbullying leading to depression and sometimes even suicide.
Cyberbullying is an act of bullying through electronic devices such as smartphones and computers. Cyberbullying generally refers to the repeated sending of aggressive or mean messages online or via text, normally where there is a power imbalance between parties, or the posting of embarrassing photos or information about another person without their consent.
As engaged parents, we need to know what resources we have available to address these issues before they start. It is important to keep an open and honest running dialogue with our children surrounding what cyberbullying looks like and how to best address it. Being prepared and informed means we can offer a solid support system for the challenges they might have concerning digital bullying and other online issues. As parents, our best defense is equipping our children and ourselves with the tools we need to address issues like cyberbullying.
Services and Software Resources For Parents
-A digital safety solution like Bark helps by alerting parents to potential threats in their children’s social media, text messaging, and email, without parents having to manually comb through all of their texts and social media accounts.
-Screen time management applications like Circle and Torch are also beneficial and complement Bark’s content monitoring service.
-Parental controls on computer browsers or safe search sites for younger kids, like Kido’z, Ask Kids,and TweensBrowser
-For younger children, consider a child-friendly social networking site such as Kidzworld.
-Data-usage limiting and monitoring apps/services offered by your cell phone service provider
-StopBullying.gov provides additional information and resources on cyberbullying.
-CommonSenseMedia has reviews for many of the websites and apps kids and teens are interested in, as well as information and resources on various topics, including cyberbullying
-NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is a mental health organization that provides resources and support for families affected by mental health issues, such as depression and suicidal ideation.
As CPO, Titania is Bark's resident factotum, her role spanning across product, design, copy, customer acquisition and education, and media relations. Titania has tremendous experience at the intersection of families and technology, formerly serving as CMO at KidsLink, co-founder/CMO at Privet, and Executive Director of Band of Coders Girls Academy.