To mark Stop Cyberbullying Day on Friday, 16 June, Kaspersky is sharing ten practical tips focused on empowering the youth and advocating for their safety, both offline and online to combat cyberbullying, aiming to foster safer and more respectful digital environments for all.
“We understand the importance of ensuring the safety of our youth in today’s digital world. Even though the Internet is important to supplement education, interact with friends and family and have fun, it is also dangerous due to the ongoing threat of cyberbullying. By equipping children and their parents with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves online, we are empowering them to more securely navigate the digital world with confidence,” says Brandon Muller, technology expert and consultant for the MEA region at Kaspersky.
- Be aware of online activity: Always monitor the sites, apps, and platforms you use. Understand the privacy policies and what content is appropriate to share.
- Privacy settings: Always make use of privacy settings on social media platforms and apps. These settings can control who sees your posts and personal information.
- Think before you post: Remember that the Internet is permanent. Even if you have deleted a post, comment, photo, or video, malicious users can still find it. If you are not comfortable with your parents or others seeing what you post, then it is best not to do so.
- Strong passwords: Use complex and unique passwords for all of your accounts to prevent hacking. Never share your passwords with anyone.
- Report and block bullies: Most platforms have tools for reporting abusive behaviour and blocking individuals. If at any time you feel threatened or harassed, use these tools to block and report those cyberbullies.
- Don’t feed the trolls: Often, the situation only gets worse if you engage with bullies or other trolls online. They are looking for a reaction, even more so if you start being intimidated by them. Rather ignore, report and block them, and alert your parents.
- Keep evidence: Always keep a record of your communications with these cyberbullies. Take screen shots before they can delete their conversations/thread. If things escalate, this evidence can be helpful for parents, teachers, or the relevant authorities.
- Reach out for help: Do not feel alone when it comes to cyberbullying. Talk to someone you trust about what is happening. Reach out to your parents, teachers, or your school guidance counselor. They can provide you with support and help you take the appropriate course of action.
- Educate yourself and help others: Being forewarned is being forearmed. The best thing to do is to use online resources to teach yourself about cyberbullying, identify the signs, and even how it can impact your personal life. Show your friends and family to help keep them safe as well.
- Install reliable security software: For example, the Kaspersky Safe Kids all-in-one app for digital parenting and family well-being makes parent control easy at an affordable price. With this solution, parents can monitor their children online and offline through things like GSP tracking and getting reports of their online activities. It also hides inappropriate content with Web filtering and Safe Search options while preventing specific apps and Web sites from being opened. Kaspersky Safe Kids solution is also available within Kaspersky Premium subscription – those purchasing it till June 22nd can benefit from getting a 33% discount due to a current Cyber promo campaign.