Take Action Against Cyberbullying and Online Harassment
Cyber Safeguard – Simply stated… We help you address and take action against cyberbullying and online harassment
Why was Cyber Safeguard created? Most of us now understand the growing trend of online harassment and that it is a threat to mental health everywhere. Some cases of online harassment can be not only traumatic, they can be life-damaging – such as private or explicit photos being posted online and distributed via text message or social media as just one common example. When students experience online harassment or cyberbullying, we’ve observed that there are two common challenges that arise:
Lack of Knowledge: Typically, parents, students, and teachers may not have the first clue how to deal with online harassment or cyberbullying. Several questions immediately arise, such as: What is the definition of cyberbullying? Is cyberbullying illegal? How can I report cyberbullying? Is cyberbullying a crime? How do I prevent cyberbullying?
These questions are often extremely complex and complicated to answer since each situation is unique. Often times school counselors, teachers, or even administrators may have to get involved in an attempt to answer these very time-consuming and nuanced questions.
Urgency: In a case of online harassment, timing can be absolutely urgent. A couple examples would be a private video or picture has been posted to social media to harass a child or a situation where a child is receiving text messages encouraging self-harm or suicide. When these horrible situations arise, parents and children become overwhelmed with the need to act quickly. Yet, it can take days of research to identify the best way to fix the problem and seek a solution.
This contrast of (1) potentially needing to act urgently and (2) also needing to spend large amounts of time (perhaps days) researching current laws, finding contact information, reaching out to the correct authorities, etc. creates a significant problem for parents, students, and schools. Then, by the time you reach a solid plan of action, it may be too late.
These predicaments and challenges are exactly why Cyber Safeguard was created and what we aim to help solve for students, parents, and schools. While most people understand what cyberbullying and online harassment are, far less know how to respond when it occurs or how to prevent it from happening in the first place. Our mission is to inform and empower individuals and schools to take action against cyberbullying and online harassment.
