Technology has transformed our world by providing us with a gateway to stay connected at all hours of the day. Despite our best efforts at monitoring screen time, our pre-teens and teens are often chronically online, connecting themselves to family, friends, and unfortunately, bullies. 

With the changing of the times, the bullying that existed in school halls (and still does) has also entered the digital era, causing even more harm to the victims and following them home long after the bell rings.

So, what do we do? What measures are being taken in order to protect our children and teens when they log in or simply pick up their phones?

AT HOME

One of the most important things parents can do when it comes to protecting their children from cyberbullying is to be aware of what they are doing online. It’s definitely a lot easier said than done, but taking an interest in what apps they are using, TikTok trends they’re participating in, and who they are communicating with is a crucial step in the right direction.

StopBullying.gov, managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, also encourages taking the following steps to help protect them from harmful online behavior:

• Review or reset your child’s phone location and privacy settings.
• Follow or friend your teen on social media sites, or have another trusted adult do so.
• Stay up-to-date on the latest apps, social media platforms, and digital slang used by children and teens.
• Know your child’s usernames and passwords for email and social media.
• Establish rules about appropriate digital behavior, content, and apps.

If it’s determined that cyberbullying is occurring, immediately block the person doing the bullying. Reports of the bullying can be made to online service providers, mobile phone providers (call and report the number), or law enforcement. When submitting the report, include dates, times, and screenshots. 

According to StopBullying.gov, when cyberbullying involves threats of violence, child pornography or sending sexually explicit messages or photos, photos or video taken of someone in a private place, or stalking and hate crimes, it is considered a crime and should be reported to law enforcement. Louisiana State Police provides a form on their website (lsp.org) to submit reports. However, to file a police report, a person must visit the state police in person or call the office directly.

IN SCHOOL

Louisiana anti-bullying laws cover all off-campus conduct, including cyberbullying. As a part of the law, “[e]ach elementary and secondary school shall institute a program to prohibit and prevent bullying.”

Programs created must inform and educate every student, parent or legal guardian, school administrator, and volunteer of their duties and responsibilities in helping to prevent and stop bullying. Furthermore, the programs must also provide a process for reporting and investigating alleged incidents of bullying.

To submit a cyberbullying report, contact the child’s school to learn the proper steps. The process can vary by school. However, the Louisiana Department of Education (louisianabelieves.com) provides a “Bullying Report Form,” which can be downloaded and printed out to be turned into the principal or appropriate school leader. The form encourages the submitter to describe the incident and list any witnesses. A similar form is available on NOLA Public Schools website (nolapublicschools.com) and can be submitted online.

ON SOCIAL MEDIA

While there are many benefits to using and creating with social media, those same platforms can be used for cyberbullying. Knowing this, popular platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook have implemented processes to protect the younger generation. Here are some of the precautions the most popular apps and forums are taking to prevent bullying.

• TikTok: TikTok provides private accounts; customizations for For You Pages, messages, and who can Duet or Stitch videos; comment control; filtering comments and keywords; and reporting. 
• Instagram: Instagram provides tag and mention controls, a space to report users or content, the ability to block users, and the ability to limit or restrict users from interacting with the victim. Instagram also includes a comment warning feature, which flags potentially offensive comments before they are posted, reminding the commenter of Instagram’s Community Guidelines and warning them that if they proceed, their comment may be removed or hidden.
• Facebook (Meta): Facebook and Instagram are Meta Platforms, so they share similar features when keeping teens safe on social media, including blocking and reporting bullying. Meta employs teams that review reports of bullying and harassment 24/7, in more than 50 different languages. However, they also utilize technology in order to find and remove inappropriate content, often before it even gets reported on.
• Snapchat: Snapchat allows users to block others and report bullying. The company has also partnered with the Crisis Text Line to provide additional support and resources to Snapchatters. Users can text KIND to 741741 to chat with a live, trained crisis counselor. This service is free and available 24/7.
• Discord: Discord’s Community Guidelines are similar to other social media platforms. Some of the guidelines state that users are not allowed to send unwelcome or unwanted content to an individual, call for the suicide or self-harm of others, or post content with the intent to cause disgust, anger, or fear. Those who disobey the guidelines, Discord will take action against the accounts. Users who see the policies being disobeyed are encouraged to report the guilty users and content.

The majority of the apps that teens are using have strict community guidelines in place. However, a good rule of thumb is that if teens are using any apps without safety measures or anti-bullying policies in place, that is probably not an app they should be using.

Unfortunately, even with the best-laid plans and safety measures in place, bullies can slip through the cracks and still cause others harm. Preventing cyberbullying and protecting our children is still a work in progress, but work we should consistently do until cyberbullying is no longer trending.