Cyber bullies lurk on your kid’s phone, name-calling, shaming, rejecting. My generation played “Ghost in the Graveyard” and “Ring and Run” ourside and watched TV or phone friends … on the phone attached to a wall. Today’s kids are often online playing games. The more your kids are online, the greater likelihood your son or daughter will run into a cyber bully.
And that’s scary.
As the mother of three children (two teens and an adult daughter), cyber UNsafety gives me nightmares. My son too.
While he played Minecraft with his Christian school friends on XBox 360 Live, a person who identified himself as a teen boy who crashed their game threatened my 13-year-old. The cyber-gaming-bully said, “I’m going to hack your account.” This unsettled my son.
Then much worse.
The mean boy snarled: “I’m gonna rape you.”
CyberBullies, Gaming, and Safety
My son told my husband and me about the threats. We asked, “Did you share your gaming password with this person or anyone else?”
“No.”
“Did you tell him your address or your name?”
“No.”
My husband and I reassured our son that as long as he’s telling the truth, then the would-be hacker/rapist could not mess with his XBox account or find out where you live and attack you.
Despite our reassurance, he had trouble falling asleep. The next morning, he described a dream in which this cyber-gaming-bully hacked his account and destroyed his Minecraft world.
According to CovenantEyes.com, cyber-bullying is worse than you may realize. Eighty-eight percent of teens say they have seen someone be mean or cruel to another person on a social network, 24 percent say someone has written something about them on an Internet page that was “really mean,” and 16 percent report someone have put up embarrassing photos or videos of them on an Internet page without their permission.
Parenting the Internet generation is tough. You can help keep your kid safe. You can become informed and care enough to ask the tough questions. One day — may be not today, or tomorrow, or next month — your teen will thank you.
Safety Tips
When your kid plays video games on a home computer or console such as Wii, Xbox 360, or PlayStation 3, you need to become aware of the potential threats and what you can do.
THREAT: Many games have f-bombs and other cuss words, violence, and sexual content. Some games’ objectives involve a “crime” to win the game or to get more points. These virtual crimes include theft, stalking, and murder.
YOUR PART: Learn about the games your kid plays at home and friends’ homes. Read the ratings, even play the games to determine suitability.
THREAT: Most teens and preteens prefer online games, increasing the potential for harmful interactions with others–cyber bullies as well as predators who seem friendly or give a fake age.
YOUR PART: Encourage your kid to choose a screen name (called a gamertag) that doesn’t include his or her real name and isn’t violent/sexual/profane/hateful. Tell your your kid that he or she must not share ANY personal information including name of school or hometown. Ban the use of webcams unless you directly supervise.
For more complete tips, please go to CovenantEyes.com.
More Safety Tips
Chances are, you’re aware of the highly publicized cyber-bullying cases where bullied teens become so distraught and depressed over online bullying that they committed suicide. These cases are terribly tragic; they are not the norm.
More common are hurtful emails, instant messages, and texts. Slander and gossip spread like wildfire among teens, even younger children, creating emotional and social turmoil. Some kids put up embarrassing photos on Facebook and other online sites. Other kids open themselves up to cyberbullying by going to sites like Formspring.me and invite people to ask them personal questions that may be sexual and degrading.
THREAT: Cyberbullies have targeted your kid with slanderous or crude, hateful emails and texts.
YOUR PART: Look for emotional and behavioral warning signs. Is your teen seem increasingly withdrawn? Is she spending dramatically more or less time online or on her cell phone? Teach them to log off when a cyberbully tries to hurt them with words and emotions.
THREAT: Your teen is participating in cyber-bullying.
YOUR PART: When you suspect your teen is saying hurtful things about others, it’s time for a frank talk. Clearly state your expectations of what language and words are not okay — name-calling, sexual words, coarse jokes, and threats. As you deem necessary, take away electronic devices including cell phones, laptops, video games, and so on from your teen. Require that your teen give you his or her password so you can view texts and instant messages. Go on their Facebook wall. See what they’re posting.
Most Important
Be wise and don’t fret. Know God’s in control.
Do not be anxious about anything,but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
For more information on cyber-bullying, go to StopBullyingNow.
Counseling Hearts to Hope,
