Bullying doesn’t just happen in schools and playgrounds anymore. It can happen online. As a parent, you might be concerned about your child’s safety especially if they’re prone to be targeted by bullies. But how do you differentiate traditional bullying from cyberbullying? And how can you tell if your child is the victim or is victimizing others? Using a cell phone tracker can help. But first, let’s discuss the differences between the two concepts.
According to research, cyberbullying is not as premeditated as conventional bullying. It’s often impulsively done because it’s easier to harass a target by sending a text, an online message, or by calling.
The bullying we all know is often limited to certain places and times, like when a child is on their way to school or at the playground. This gives targets a limited sense of predictability and they may have a chance to hide and feel safe. However, with technology, cyberbullying can happen around the clock through social media and mobile devices—no matter where the target is. With a phone tracker online, you can easily monitor the interactions your child has with others so you can identify signs of cyberbullying.
Bullies want to control and power, so they proactively and aggressively target their victims. These characteristics might not be present in cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying seems easier because it does not require the bully to be physically there to harass and taunt their victim. The bully hides behind the screen, so they can’t tell the person’s reaction to what they’re posting or texting and they’re unaware that they’ve gone too far. This also makes it challenging to identify a cyberbully because they can make a different account or use a different number. The good news is that a cell phone tracker with data logging & GPS capabilities can help with that.
Most bullies have a background of violence caused by another person, and the roles in most cases are clear. That’s not necessarily the same with cyberbullying. Young people can assume multiple roles at once, such as the witness, target, and cyberbully. There’s no clear profile of who can be the target or cyberbully because it can happen to anyone.
One of the problematic things about cyberbullying is it can have many onlookers. Technology makes it easier to post and spread content to many different people, so the incident can become highly public or viral. That makes the experience more embarrassing and difficult for targets.
Social factors like socio-economic conditions, education, family ties, employment, and access to services are found to be linked to an individual’s mental health and general health, including their ability to cope with or avoid violence and traditional bullying. Those connections with cyberbullying are not that clear. In cyberbullying, factors like self-perception, gender, or age are not reliable predictors of who’s capable of bullying. However, high-quality relationships with significant adults are likely a strong protective factor in both kinds of bullying.
Easy Logger is a useful cell phone tracker that can help you identify the signs of cyberbullying on your child’s mobile phone. Use this powerful phone tracker online to find out if your child is in danger or if they’re the one causing trouble. It logs phone calls, application usage, and text messages, and lets you track your child’s location 24/7.