This story aims to raise awareness among children – and their parents – about cyberbullying and how to protect their online reputation.
In the story, Maxe experiences cyberbullying, where an anonymous person is trying to damage her reputation by using pictures of her found on the Internet, among other things. For a parent, it is never easy to learn that their child is a victim of this type of attack. However, you can help prevent and better respond to it.
Your social media posts about your children are not without risks. Photos, videos and other information shared without consent could harm your child, even years later. They could cause embarrassment and be used by bullies.
Also, information that seems harmless to you, such as your child’s birthday, can be used by fraudsters to commit identity theft. Photos of your child can even be used for child pornography.
■ Think before you post. It is difficult to control information after it has been posted online. Avoid posting content that is embarrassing, involves nudity or reveals personal information about your child.
■ Set your account to private mode. Only share posts with people you trust and make sure they are not posted publicly.
■ Get consent before posting about your child. If your children can understand that you post about them, ask for consent before posting. If they ask you to delete a post about them, comply with the request.
For more information, consult the information page of Option consommateurs.
Cyberbullying most often involves sending mean or insulting messages over and over again. It is also possible to spread rumours about a person to damage their reputation.
An impostor can impersonate another person to harm the child, including opening a false account in the child’s name. A bully may also convince someone to share embarrassing information about the child and then spread that information. Bullies may even engage in sextortion – obtaining sexually explicit images of a person and threatening to post them online.
On the Internet, the content persists and may sometimes be impossible to delete. It can always be re-shared, so it is much harder to “forget”.
■ Listen to your child. Make sure your child is comfortable confiding in you about a challenging situation. Don’t be judgmental or make the situation worse.
■ Teach your children what to do if they are being cyberbullied: (1) stop communicating with the person; (2) block messages from a bully; (3) document and retain evidence of the situation; (4) talk to someone you trust.
■ With the child’s consent, agree on the best course of action to take. You can report cyberbullying to companies such as social media or telecommunications service providers. You can also contact your child’s school.
■ Some cyberbullying can be a crime. This is the case with suicide counselling or threats. You can report the situation to the police.
■ If the child is experiencing psychological problems as a result of cyberbullying, don’t hesitate to get professional help.