Due to the rapid advancement of technologies, our lives are becoming more digital. Even though the digital era benefits humanity in many aspects, the increased access to the Internet also leads to cyberbullying. If you are a single parent wondering how to stop cyberbullying for kids, make sure to read this article.

Learning the Basics of Cyberbullying

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, also known as UNICEF, defines cyberbullying as “bullying with the use of digital technologies.” Currently, cyberbullying covers a wide variety of online activities, including sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about a specific person or a group of people. In some cases, cyberbullying can cross the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.

According to a report published by Pew Research Center, nearly 60% of children have experienced some sort of cyberbullying at least once in their lives. The thing is, the age-long problem of in-person bullying has made it into the digital world. However, cyberbullying is more damaging than traditional face-to-face bullying, as it can happen at any time, and there is no place to hide.

Based on the information provided by Ditch the Label, one of the world’s leading anti-bullying organizations, cyberbullying most often takes place on social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. The main reasons why most people get attacked online are as follows:

• Appearance
• Academic achievements/intelligence
• Race
• Sexuality
• Financial status
• Religion

The Signs and Impact of Cyberbullying

Some children are ready to tell their parents they are experiencing bullying online, which significantly simplifies the process of providing parental help. At the same time, most kids are still too embarrassed or ashamed to talk to their parents about it. Therefore, each parent should be able to identify the main signs that their child is a victim. If you suspect something, watch for the following behaviors in your child:

• being distant, upset, or angry after being online or texting
• appearing more lonely or distressed
• a decline in their school work
• trouble sleeping
• loss of interest in favorite hobbies
• unexplained weight loss or weight gain, headaches, stomachaches, or trouble eating
• suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts

Apart from this, what experts say about cyberbullying is that cyberbullying has a significant impact on a child’s mental health and well-being. For example, if the child suffering from cyberbullying does not get appropriate help, it can lead to:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Eating disorder
• Self-harm
• Substance abuse

Best Ways to Help Your Child Handle Cyberbullying

If you don’t know how to protect your child from online bullies, try to stick to the cyberbullying tips listed below.

1. Listen to your child without judgment and blame

No matter who initiates the first conversation about cyberbullying, parents should discuss the ongoing problem with their child calmly. Instead of freaking out, try to gently ask questions regarding the names of bullies (if known), the forms of cyberbullying used, and the length of time the cyberbullying has been a problem.

Also, do not blame your child if they have been hiding the truth about being cyberbullied for a long time. In fact, victims of online bullying may be scared their parents won’t understand the magnitude of this problem. Let your child know that you are always here for them if they feel like they need to talk.

2. Help your child feel safe

What parents can do about cyberbullying is ensure their child feels safe. If you think that taking away your child’s phone or computer to teach them about online safety can be helpful, you’re wrong. This action can only alienate them from their peers.

To help your child build resilience, encourage them to block cyberbullies from contacting them. If the cyberbully still manages to contact your child somehow, they shouldn’t respond or retaliate. Usually, people who use electronic communication to bully someone only want to get a reaction.

Finally, let your child know that telling an adult isn’t tattling – it’s standing up for yourself. So, if new episodes of cyberbullying occur, the child should be able to talk about it with a trusted adult.

3. Collect evidence

If the harassment continues, collect evidence that you can later show to teachers, the parents of bullies, or police officers. For example, make screenshots or recordings of conversations, messages, pictures, videos, and other items that demonstrate a full picture of bullying behavior.

If you consider taking legal action, speak with a lawyer, legal service, or the police about the type of evidence you might need to help resolve your case. Once evidence is collected, make sure to store it in a way that removes it from your child’s devices. For instance:

• Send the evidence to your personal device or email
• Store the evidence on an external hard drive

4. Work with the school administrator

Presently, the majority of schools have a bullying policy, and most cover cyberbullying. If your child and aggressor go to the same school, contact educators who take responsibility for creating a safe environment for victims of online harassment through an investigation and appropriate response.

If reporting the incident to the school doesn’t help you handle the issue well, step back and reconsider your options. Is the cyberbullying your child experience possibly a crime?  In the end, the last thing you want is for the problem to get worse for your child.

5. Report the online harm

Typically, social media platforms, games, apps, and websites have policies that help prevent and deal with harm caused by online abuse and restricted online content. Considering that cyberbullying violates the Terms of Service of all legitimate service providers, contact the content provider to inform about this violation.

f you manage to provide appropriate proof, the service provider will take action within 48 hours after the report has been submitted. As a result, the cyber-abuse material will be removed, and the person initiating cyberbullying will be blocked.

6. If necessary, seek counseling

If you don’t know where to find help for reducing physical and mental harm caused by cyberbullying, try to find a well-qualified cyberbullying counselor for your child. Many victims of online harassment may be reluctant to speak out, which is why parents should play an essential role in motivating them to seek help.

If you notice any signs of anxiety or depression experienced by your kid, communicate with your child on the subject of cyberbullying. If the child agrees to receive psychological help, mental health counseling can be beneficial for them in areas such as:

• Self-esteem building
• Dealing with aggressive people
• Learning to resolve conflicts
• Managing stress

7. In case of a real physical threat of harm, contact local law enforcement

Sometimes, cyberbullying includes a realistic physical threat of harm. In this case, parents should contact county or state law enforcement officials immediately. After researching your state’s cyberbullying laws and procedures, you can file an official report with the police.

In turn, the police are required to take appropriate measures to prevent new episodes of online harassment from occurring. For example, if the bully is anonymous, the police will try to track them down. If cyberbullying involves a credible threat or posting the victim’s contact information to provoke physical attacks against them, the police might launch an investigation.

8. Encourage positive connections and coping strategies

Reassure your child they are loved and supported by numerous people, including their family members and friends. In addition to having open communication about your love for the child, encourage them to engage with interests like sports or dance that connect them with other young people. In this way, your kid can improve relationships with their friends and get acquainted with new people who share the same interests.

Moreover, if your child feels unsafe at school, offer to switch educational facilities. This decision can help your kid find new meaningful connections and build lasting friendships from scratch. Considering that changing schools exposes children to a wide range of new ideas and attitudes, it can be a perfect way to start a new chapter of life.

A Final Thought on Cyberbullying

If you want to learn more information on cyberbullying and options to address this problem, there are a variety of cyberbullying help sites that you can use to improve your knowledge on this topic. For example, you can visit government websites, such as Stop Bullying, Cyberbullying Research Center, and Connect Safely Cyberbullying.

by: Natalie Maximets
Natalie Maximets is a certified life transformation coach at OnlineDivorce.com. She has expertise in mindfulness and sustainability. She is a published author focused on the most progressive solutions in the field of psychology. Natalie helps people go through fundamental life challenges, such as divorce, and build an entirely new life by reframing their personal narrative.

Parents get very concerned when it comes to making the perfect choice for their child’s education. And it is only natural because finding the right one among 100 different schools is a very challenging task. As a parent, you would want nothing but the best for your child.

This is in all aspects: education, extra-curricular activities, environment, and so on. All these factors contribute to helping your child develop the best qualities.

However, the task becomes more challenging when you are a parent living overseas in UAE. You may not be aware of the country’s standard and education system. So, allow us to make the choice easier by allowing us to walk you through what Reach British School has to offer for your child!

What Is Reach British School?

Launched in 2014, Reach British School is one of UAE’s leading ISP international schools and is also a part of the International Schools Partnership (or ISP). They cater to all students between the ages of 3 years to 18 years (Nursery/FS1 to Year 13/Pre-KG to Grade 12).

The course of the curriculum followed here is the National Curriculum for England, which is known to be a benchmarked course all over the world. The primary focus of this institution is academics. However, they also motivate the students to get involved in cultural rigor challenges.

This allows them to excel in both areas, including their academics and personal growth.

In addition to this, Reach British School is also one of the very few schools to aid their second-year students by offering stunning scholarships!

By enrolling your child here, you can be guaranteed that they will get extraordinary international learning connections, quality assurance, and excellent governance.

What Reach British School Has To Offer

Now that you have a basic idea of what Reach British School is let us take a look at what the school has to offer in detail.

World-Class British Curriculum

As mentioned earlier, Reach British School follows the National Curriculum for England. This curriculum is focused and centered around the students and also challenges them to achieve more.

Professionally Skilled Staff

Moreover, the teachers at Reach British School focus on the all-around development of every single student. Before they start a class, the teachers carefully plan out their lessons so that every student understands the lessons.

Other than catering to just academics, they also cater to the child’s emotional and social achievements.

The learning environment is one that is very social, stimulating, and organized. This way, the children get the best experiences in various challenges like teamwork, solving puzzles, project work, and so on.

All children are given awards when they overcome challenges which further helps by boosting their self-esteem and confidence levels.

Best Campus Experience

Give your child the best campus experience as they explore the heated 25m indoor swimming pool, spacious, well-ventilated classrooms, huge multi-purpose indoor sports hall, a superb astroturf football field, a multi-sports pitch meant for athletics, and a newly resurfaced central play area.

Additionally, they also have stocked up libraries, science labs, and ICT suites (also known as Information and Communication Technologies), interesting digital projects, and impressive school canteens!

High-Quality Health Services

At Reach British School, you can be guaranteed that your child’s safety will be the main priority. This school has joined hands with the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) to provide the best health care services for your child.

The nurses in the school are trained to teach children how to live healthy, thereby promoting safety.

Healthy House System

At Reach British School, every child is taught to aim for excellence by improving their sense of team spirit. And that is why children are sorted in different houses to inculcate the habit of teamwork and healthy competition.

To practice this, the school organizes various competitions that are designed to test the child’s physical, creative, and intellectual elements. Furthermore, this helps to promote creative thinking and collaboration among the children.

In order to do so, the school will give your child a house color right when they are enrolled. Not only will this make them feel like they belong with the community of the school, but they will also be able to win points for their house from day 1.

This way, they can bag a lot of appreciation and even stand a chance to get elected as the school’s Primary Head, Primary Deputies, and Primary Lead Prefect!

Excellent Online Learning System

Given the current global situation, we understand that your child’s health and well-being are a concern. And that’s why Reach British School has started an excellent online learning system!

In fact, this school’s online education system has received the highest rating by ADEK in all 13 areas! This is because even with online learning, Reach has maintained:

• A clear focus on learning
• Motivation for students to learn
• Attendance and engagement
• Sharing, connecting, and three-way communication
• Real-life learning connections
• Time management
• Feedback and other steps

However, this has all been made possible thanks to our talented team of staff and the constant support of the parents!

Affordable Fee Structure

The best part about Reach British School is that the fee structure is very affordable. They are also very flexible as they allow you to pay the fees as an annual payment or in three installments.

They are flexible with payment options as well and they support your payment in the form of cash, cheque, online banking, and credit card. Moreover, if you have two or more children, you can even avail yourself of discounts of 5-10%!

They also offer corporate discounts for the following companies:

• Etihad Airways
• SEHA
• Mubadala
• Esaad

Why Choose Reach British School?

If you are looking to enroll your child in an exciting school with guarantees to help lay a strong foundation for a successful future, your best option is Reach British School.

Moreover, the school also has passionate English-speaking teachers who will give your child the best in academics but also offers a wide range of fun extra-curricular activities. All these combined are guaranteed to give your child everything they need for a bright future.

Additionally, they provide one-of-a-kind opportunities specially curated for secondary students along with scholarships.

It is also interesting to note that Reach British School is one that has been certified by the British Schools Middle East (BSME) and is also an active member of this community. Furthermore, Reach is also a part of the International Schools Partnership, which provides quality education for children across the country.

Final Words

We understand that as a parent, investing in your child’s future is the most important thing. However, at Reach British School, the future of every single child, including yours, shines bright.

With world-class learning programs and skilled teachers, you can be sure that your child’s path to success is one that is paved clearly. This is because our school delivers the best of tried and tested educational programs, which leads the students to enter established universities.

So, come and join us on our journey to help create a brighter future!

Discord has been gaining popularity as one of the most popular free audio, video, calling, and chatting services.  It initially gained popularity as a gaming and chat platform, but is now trying to reinvent itself as a place where like-minded people can socialize and discuss. Discord usage for business has even been increasing.

Parents often ask this relevant question about Discord since teens are the app’s intended audience. If your child uses Discord, should you be worried? How can you protect your kids from cyberbullying and harassment on Discord?

Even though Discord can be used safely with adequate precautions, it still comes with risks, just like every other open-chat program.

Read this article to get all the necessary information about Discord and to know Is Discord safe for kids?

What Is Discord?

Discord is a free application for PC and mobile that allows people to chat via text, voice, or video.

By combining Skype’s internet call features with Reddit-like discussion boards, it has diversified from a forum for gamers only to one for communities with a wide variety of interests, including anime, TV series, music, and more. Also, it can be used to chat with friends in a group.

Discord, which was founded in 2015, is a platform that brings individuals together with similar likes and interests. Video game players use it to communicate and develop a sense of community outside of the games themselves.

Over the years, it has expanded into an entire social network with over 140 million active monthly users. Gamers are no longer their only users.

Working of Discord

It is essential to have a clear understanding of the word ‘server’ to grasp how Discord works. Servers are like groups of users that can discuss a topic or game together, and users can also create a server to play with friends and other players.

Users can make servers public or private, depending on their choice. If the users choose to make the server public, everyone can join the server. And if the user makes the server private, only people with links can join. Whenever users invite their friends to the private server, they will get a link to join the server.

You can also divide existing servers into voice and text channels for specific discussion topics. The server owner can also set their own rules regarding what content to allow and how many people they can join their server.

Is Discord Safe?

Discord can be used safely with the correct privacy settings and monitoring. Nevertheless, open chat on sites and apps always poses a risk. Use Discord safely by accepting only friend requests from people you already know and joining private servers.

There have been instances when predators have used Discord’s public servers to send direct messages to children, although it’s rare. Despite the fact that server moderators are typically quick to intervene, kids and parents should learn how to spot creeps and online predators.

Discord is an open-chat platform, and like every other open-chat platform, it is also unveiled to different cyber threats if necessary precautions are not taken. Discord users are at risk of data breaches and undesired content.

The safety of Discord depends upon the intensity of security measures adopted by users. The only way to ensure the safety of users on Discord is to adopt safe practices while using this application.

Risks of Using Discord

Discord can be a beneficial app, but it is also dangerous and harmful for kids if necessary precautions are not taken while using this app. Discord is an open-chat platform, and like every other open-chat platform, it is also unveiled to different cyber threats if necessary precautions are not taken.

Discord comes with a number of risks. A few of them are mentioned below:

●     Discord makes Cyberbullying easier

Discord is an open-chat platform that allows users to chat with their friends, families, and strangers. It is more prevalent among teens and kids as a social network for gaming chatting, and streaming.

However, Kids and teens are also using this app for bullying. Discord provides a feature in which audio and video streams disappear, making it easier for bullies to bully others without leaving any evidence on Discord.

●     Easy for predators to contact children using Discord

Discord allows its users to meet and chat with strangers, and like other open-chat platforms, people on Discord can also lie about their identity or who they are? Predators can manipulate and stalk your kids via Discord.

Predators can send inappropriate content, images, videos, audios, etc., to your kids, or they can blackmail your kids. They can even groom your kids to perform some unbefitting tasks, which can be harmful to your kids.

●     Difficult to Moderate

Like many others, open-chat and private communication app discord is dangerous as it is challenging to control real-time communication. Audio and video streams disappear in Discord.

An individual server carries out the content moderation process. Hence the groups have servers of different standards, and some of the servers are administered better than others.

Users can report issues to Discord directly, but this is a time-consuming process, and your child may gain access to or be exposed to improper content.

●     Kids may get access to pornography and Exploitation

Discord has lots of private groups, including groups of criminal activity, child pornography, etc. These groups can trap your kids and expose these types of adult content to your kids.

However, Discord is trying to solve this problem by breaking down pornography and criminal activities groups.  It is still a better alternative than Mastodon, which is offers more freedom without restrictions.

What’s Good About Discord?

Despite the risks of Discord, it has some positive aspects. There are a lot of chat apps out there, but Discord stands out because of its simple UI. It doesn’t take up too much space on the device and allows youngsters to communicate with their real-life pals while playing a virtual game.

Discord has been a social savior for many teenagers and kids during the pandemic. They use Discord to stream movies and games with friends to kill time and get over boredom.

Another advantage is secrecy. Teenagers can use Discord to avoid public conversation in games where strangers disparage others or share inappropriate stuff.

Discord’s concentration on interest groups also helps kids connect with others who share their passions without sifting through unnecessary postings or ads they might see on other social media platforms.

The Bottom Line

If your kid can safely use Discord, it can be a way to interact with their real-life pals via gaming when they can’t be together in person. They might be able to find a group interested in discussing their common interests.

On the other hand, Discord will always be a riskier software to use due to the lack of parental controls. Consider whether the benefits of Discord outweigh the risks. If you decide to let your children use this app, make sure they have an internal filter installed to keep them safe while they’re online.

Many people consider Math one of the most challenging subjects in school, with most kids feeling nervous and stressed when they stare at a math problem. This apprehension is due to a condition called math anxiety. Often, this condition carries into adulthood. Luckily, math anxiety has several solutions, and this article will uncover them.

What is Math Anxiety?

Have you ever been in a situation where you tell your child to do their math homework and countenance change? Math anxiety can make your child act out that way. Typically, Math anxiety is a feeling of tension, discomfort, and fear in math situations. This negative emotional reaction can affect a child’s overall understanding, appreciation, and performance in math. According to the University of Cambridge research, math anxiety can gravely impede students’ performance and grades in elementary and high school.

What Causes Math Anxiety?

Math is a foundational subject, so kids need to embrace its conceptual language. Understanding the concept and triggers of math anxiety will help you generate ways to make math a loveable subject for your kid. After careful research, it is apparent that some causes of math anxiety include:

●     Shaky Math Foundation

A major cause of math anxiety arises when children do not have the basic knowledge of mathematical concepts. Experts believe that people start to exhibit symptoms of math anxiety when they struggle with basic math concepts and skills earlier in life. When their teachers begin introducing advanced math concepts, things could worsen, and they completely lose interest in their math classes.

Remember that math is one subject that builds upon itself. You learn the basics from an early class, and as you progress higher to more difficult math studies such as calculus, you have to expand the concepts you learned in your previous grades. Since Math is a part of your kid’s curriculum, they will have to do the compulsory class. They encounter more mathematical problems that they do not understand as they get into higher classes. Gradually, the resentment for Math may build until your child eventually develops Math anxiety.

●     Pressure from time limits on tests

Some teachers impose unreasonable time limits on math tests, leading to a child developing math anxiety. The kid focuses more on how fast the time moves during the tests than solving the math problems. When kids get low grades from these unrealistic time limits, they may end up feeling discouraged and sad that they could not ace their tests. This bruise to their self-esteem further feeds their nervousness and fear of math.

●     Fear of Failure

Most students develop math anxiety when teachers or parents continually put pressure them for poor grades. Some parents do not understand that kids learn in various ways, so they should grow at their own pace.  When you compare your child to other kids who excel in their math education just because your child failed, you only push them further towards math anxiety. Parents and teachers play important roles in a child’s math performance, so it is their job to help them in overcoming a fear of math.

5 Practical Advice On How To Help A Child Overcome Math Anxiety

Your kids need all the help they can need to pass through math anxiety unscathed. Note that math skills are essential for every child, so it is only ideal for parents and teachers to work collectively to make kids enjoy math and stop math anxiety. Here are five practical pieces of advice on how to overcome math anxiety in your child.

Encourage your kids

If you always tell the kids that they’re doing a good job, it will make them do even better. When they get an answer wrong, encourage them to try again since consistent practice births perfection. You can encourage your child to love math using various handy online tools on the internet. These tools can also help your kids hone their digital skills alongside their math skills. You do not even need to bother about parental controls when your kids learn online because there are some safe online tools you can use to achieve your aim of eliminating their math anxiety.

Encourage your kids to solve math problems themselves because they end up seeing math from a different perspective. Do not be too quick to help them out. Ask them questions like “What is the question asking? Is there another way to solve this problem? What do you think you should do?” Questions like these will challenge them to reason out various ways to solve the problem. You might even learn a thing or two from your kids along the way.

Play Math Games

Learning math for kids should be an exciting experience. Endeavor to expose them to games that will spike their interest in math and overrun their math anxiety. These games should teach kids various mathematical concepts and practice math skills in a non-threatening environment. Since they will be learning math in a non-threatening environment, they will learn better and faster at their own pace. They would also be able to recall previous lessons easily and faster.

Children have excess energy to jump and play around. So, why not make their playtime worthwhile by encouraging them to play games that can hone their math and geometry skills? When children see that math is not an agonizing but a fun learning experience, that will eliminate their math anxiety.

Make Math Fun

To help your child overcome math anxiety, find creative ways to make math for kids fun. Most kids find math boring; hence, the loss of interest in the various mathematical concepts. Books with riddles and puzzles are great options to make math fun for your kids. Get your kids math-related books; this will not only encourage reading but will also encourage their love for math.

Math-related shows and cartoons can be of great assistance in helping your child overcome their math anxiety. Kids like anything that entertains them. Games and educational cartoons present math in a simpler form. As they continually watch these shows, they will overcome their math anxiety.

Hire a Tutor

In your quest to get rid of your child’s math anxiety, you will need help from reliable professionals. You can homeschool your child by contacting tutors who have experience with math for kids. These instructors will match your child’s pace and teach math problems in simpler forms.

Through innovative teaching methods, these tutors will groom your child into one capable of solving math problems without any feeling of anxiety. Since the tutors are professionals, they have special training in providing personal assistance to kids in a conducive environment. When the atmosphere is friendly, it eases the tension with math anxiety, and your child can be more relaxed. These tutors use math for kids online to build your child’s problem-solving skills and confidence level.

Make Them Aware of Their Math Anxiety

The first crucial step in overcoming a phobia is acknowledging the problem. Make your kids aware of their math anxiety and that it is completely normal to feel that way. When your kid is aware of their anxiety and its consequences, they want to know how to get rid of it. Assure them that everything will be okay, and they just need to work towards overcoming their math anxiety.

Your kid needs to understand that making mistakes does not make them complete failures. Instead, it is an opportunity to learn and try again. This way, they will cultivate a growth mindset and strive to do better in anything they do.

Conclusion

Kids love gifts and rewards, so motivate them by rewarding them anytime they answer math questions correctly. Always remember that learning is a gradual process. Empathic actions like encouraging them to solve a math problem, using games to demystify math concepts and helping them accept their math anxiety will go a long way in helping them overcome it.