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Cyberbullying In The UK Survey Reveals Some Shocking Statistics

They say ignorance is bliss, I'm guessing this must be very true for so many parents out there. A recent report has revealed that a massive two thirds of teenagers have seen some form of bullying online. That's two thirds that admit to seeing it, when you take in to account those serial bully's who will deny at all costs then the figures may actually be higher.

Of no surprise though is to see that the 2 technologies that facilitate this cyber bullying are the usual suspects - Bebo and Live Messenger. I'm predicting that as more and more children start using FaceBook (even with its apparent age restriction) then FaceBook will start featuring in this type of study soon as well. Of particular worry though is instant messenger. Simply by it's nature it's possible to drive people insane with insults yet feel safely distanced in doing so. The figures themselves point this out to be true. Here's a challenge for each and every parent out there - monitor YOUR child's Messenger usage for 1 week and I'd be amazed if you don't see 1 conversation that shocks you to your core. As they say, ignorance is bliss. More often than not it's the children of the parents who "don't feel the need to monitor their kids" that are the ones doing the online bullying. In the last week I've seen conversations on my daughters Messenger that I would hope would appal the child’s parents, my daughter is monitored so knows when to back out, obviously others aren’t and don’t know right from wrong. Just wait until you find out where your 13 year old is getting their alcohol from, or what they are really up to when they are supposed to be sleeping at Becky's (an 18 year olds house party anyone)!

If this all sounds like preaching then I'm sorry but I'm bloody sick to death of it. Parents who clearly don't give a shit about their kids are causing all sorts of problems for those of us that do care, whether it be bullying, drinking or wandering the streets till 12 o'clock. The cyberbullying report that shows how prevalent it is actually highlights another more deep rooted problem and that is of a total lack of supervision of children online. An eleven year old shouldn't even have a Bebo account, never mind be using it unaccompanied to bully other kids and make their lives hell. It's a huge issue and one that won't get any better until parents pull their heads out of their asses and wake up to the fact that it could be YOUR little darling doing the bullying. Then again I don't suppose you care do you?

The thing is that ICU can really help with this. Not only can it highlight if your kids are doing the bullying but it will also allow you to see if your kids are being bullied. Don't forget that reports are e-mailed to you providing an evidence trail if things need to be taken further. Schools are well known for turning a blind eye to online bullying, unless it involves teachers of course, and an often cited reason is a lack of evidence. At the very worst ICU will be highlight any problems early enough for you to be able to support your kids. It's totally free so there's no excuses.