Between shopping for school supplies and hunting down the best first-day outfit, preparing for back-to-school is a busy time.
But amidst the chaos, it is critical to also prepare for a less exciting necessity: online safety. With today’s technology, bullying and online harassment can continue long after the final school bell rings., 31 per cent of Canadian youth say they have experienced cyberbullying. About 50 per cent of youth and 30 per cent of parents say they have witnessed cyberbullying directed at someone else.
Observers say this form of harassment can have devastating effects on those involved, including anxiety, a decline in grades, or feelings of helplessness. Both cyberbullying victims and cyberbullies are twice as likely as their peers to attempt suicide, according to the RCMP.The RCMP defines cyberbullying as “using computers, smartphones or other connected devices to embarrass, hurt, mock or threaten someone online.
This can include many things, such as posting an embarrassing photo of someone, breaking into someone’s social media account, using information found online to harass an individual, or fooling someone into revealing secrets that are then shared.