Cyberbullying and Social Media – Our Kids Need Help
By Becky Salato, Superintendent, Konocti Unified School District
For better or worse, cell phones and social media have become a core part of our daily lives. While social media has allowed us to connect with one another, it has also created a space for cyberbullying to flourish, which damages our children.
Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to repeatedly harass, humiliate, or harm another person. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying victims can be targeted at any time in any place, as there is no escaping the screen. Additionally, cyberbullying allows for anonymity, which emboldens bullies to say and do things they wouldn’t do in person.
During the past decade, cyberbullying has skyrocketed–and with it, so has an increase in students’ depression, anxiety, and even suicide. The use of social media (in general) has also been linked to depression and anxiety, as well as trouble sleeping and other problems that can have long-lasting effects.
At a recent parent meeting, our local law enforcement leaders and I presented information that many would find shocking. We shared dozens of social media groups created by students sharing hateful misinformation, encouraging fights and violence, and sharing private photos and videos of unsuspecting individuals.
Our children have grown accustomed to spending hours a day on their cell phones and other electronic devices. One TikTok leads to another, and suddenly hours have gone by. Children don’t always realize just how much online content they’re consuming because, like the rest of us, they are susceptible to the algorithms that keep people scrolling.
According to our research, Konocti students are most active online between 11:00 pm and 2:00 am–the middle of the night when they should be sleeping. While the majority of these students are in middle school and high school, some are in elementary school.
Although kids may be online in the middle of the night, the effects follow them to school the next day. Teaching and learning gets interrupted when kids are exhausted and/or emotionally distraught. It can be hard to overestimate the impact of hurtful posts. When adults are insulted, they can often shrug it off, but a middle schooler may contemplate suicide over it.
Cyberbullying isn’t hurtful–it can be illegal. Our law enforcement partners investigate school-based cyberbullying allegations, and depending on their findings, students can be cited or even arrested. Some cyberbullying rises to the level of stalking, which is a crime. And, targeting an individual or group of individuals and inciting violence is never okay.
If we want to protect our students and help them thrive, we need to work together: law enforcement, schools, and families.
Since research shows that just over two hours a day of social media intake can be harmful to adolescents, limiting your child's exposure to social media and electronic devices is a smart move. By creating tech-free zones in your house (such as bedrooms and dining areas), you can limit use and keep a better eye on your child’s online activity.
Another great way to protect children is to delay giving them a cell phone until they are older. If your young child has a cell phone for safety reasons, you can monitor use and enable parental controls that restrict access social media accounts and inappropriate websites (Check out an app called Bark at www.bark.us.)
At school, students do not need cell phones for you to reach them or them to reach you. The school office can facilitate communication. In fact, we are considering a system that prevents students from using their cell phones in class. More to come on that.
In the meantime, please encourage your child to speak up if they or someone they know is being cyberbullied. The actions may be online, but the consequences happen in real life. As a community, it is our responsibility to recognize the problem, educate ourselves, and to work together to protect our children from cyberbullying and tech addiction.