{"id":16986,"date":"2018-11-20T17:53:33","date_gmt":"2018-11-21T01:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=16986"},"modified":"2022-04-13T12:27:04","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T20:27:04","slug":"cyberbullying-signs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/cyberbullying-signs\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyberbullying: Is Your Child A Victim?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cyberbullying is a growing issue affecting young people everywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s an inescapable form of harassment that can have damaging long-term effects on its victims.\u00a0<\/span>According to the i-Safe Foundation<\/span><\/a>, 42% of kids and teens have been the target of cyberbullying.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s up to you as a parent to be on the lookout for the warning signs. <\/span>Here’s what you need to know.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Cyberbullying?<\/h2>\n

Cyberbullying is bullying that occurs via an electronic device (smartphone, tablet, computer, etc).<\/span><\/p>\n

This may sound relatively harmless in comparison to face-to-face bullying. The reality is that it can be equally, if not more harmful to victims.<\/p>\n

Before smart phones and social media, bullies had a fairly limited reach. Now they have the ability to torment their victims anytime, anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cyberbullies: Hard to Avoid<\/h2>\n

In years past, a bully’s\u00a0intimidation occurred mostly on school grounds.\u00a0<\/span>A child experiencing bullying could count on being able to escape to the safety of home at the end of the school day. <\/span><\/p>\n

That’s changed now that most children use multiple internet-connected devices at home<\/a>. Kids get home from school and go online to check Instagram, watch YouTube videos, or play video games.<\/p>\n

These types of social platforms are where bullying becomes cyberbullying.\u00a0<\/span>It can take the form of a tagged photo with a mocking caption shared on Instagram, a critical public Facebook status, or a taunting group text message.<\/span><\/p>\n

The impact can be more devastating than face-to-face bullying because of the public and permanent nature of these platforms.<\/p>\n

A post can be seen by hundreds of followers and stays there until the bully decides to take it down. This leaves the victim feeling both humiliated and totally helpless.<\/p>\n

The unfortunate reality is that\u00a0over half of kids experiencing cyberbullying do not report it<\/a> to their parents.<\/span><\/p>\n

What To Look For<\/h2>\n

Find out if your child is being targeted by proactively monitoring their social profiles and text messages.<\/p>\n

If you find intimidating texts, try to identify the cyberbully by phone number using\u00a0a reverse phone search\u00a0<\/a>so you can get in touch with the school or parents about the issue.<\/p>\n

If your child has private social profiles or messages using a texting app, <\/span>it\u2019s up to you as a parent to be on the lookout for the red flags that could indicate your child is suffering.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some common signs include:<\/span><\/p>\n