Protect your child from cyberbullying. Parents' mindsets and countermeasures uncovered by experts from the latest cases

The ownership rate of smartphones among elementary and junior high school students is increasing year by year. In recent years, along with the increase, "Internet bullying" and "SNS bullying" have become problems. The number of victims is increasing, such as slander and neglect within SNS groups, and sometimes the spread of personal information.

What kind of measures can we take to protect children from cyberbullying and SNS bullying? This time, we asked Masafumi Yasukawa, chairman of the Cyberbullying Prevention Association, to teach us about cases and countermeasures.

Cyberbullying Expert

We specialize in cyberbullying, school refusal, social withdrawal, and juvenile crime, and hold lectures and workshops upon request from all over the country. In order to investigate the functions of smartphones and the actual situation of cyberbullying, and to eradicate troubles and bullying on the Internet, he is active in various media as an adviser on appropriate countermeasures along with the latest cases. His books include "Children's Smartphone Troubleshooting Guide" (Gyosei Co., Ltd.).

Contents

Perpetrators range from direct acquaintances to third parties. Three Latest Cases of Cyberbullying and SNS Bullying

First of all, please tell us about the trends in cyberbullying in recent years.

"Because I spend more time at home due to the corona crisis, there are more and more cases of communication on LINE leading to trouble. For example, only one person can be bullied... Now that even elementary school students have smartphones, the age of cyberbullying is also becoming younger."

Number of recognized cases of bullying using personal computers and mobile phones

Source: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, "Survey on Problems in Student Guidance, Such as Problematic Behavior and Non-attendance at School"

Let's take a look at how cyberbullying and SNS bullying started and how it escalated.

Case 1: Mischief processing of images and dissemination of hidden videos

This is a case in which bullying started when a girl who was the class leader created a hidden LINE group. The perpetrators secretly filmed the target of bullying, and used an app to transform their faces and make them look older. The bullying escalated to the point where they secretly filmed creative dances in physical education and uploaded them to YouTube and TikTok in a way that the school name was known.

Case 2: A celebrity is accused of slandering a celebrity through "impersonation"

Personal information such as selfies and school names are used in an SNS account of "impersonation", and celebrities There is also a case that it was discovered from slander to. A celebrity complained to the school, and when the teacher questioned the child, he found out that he was being impersonated.

"From the point of view of the child, it was a double suffering, not only being impersonated, but also being suspected by the teacher. As a result, I ended up being criticized by a third party I didn't even know."

Case ③ Slander from a person whose face you cannot see

In recent years, bullying is not limited to schools. For example, there are children who imitate YouTubers and upload videos such as "I tried singing" and "I tried dancing". There are quite a few people who write slander in the comments section of such videos. The scariest thing about this case is not knowing who is telling you. It may be a stranger, or a close friend may be using a secret account to slander.

When I heard about bullying, I had an image of something that happens in a narrow community, but there are also cases where a third party becomes the perpetrator.

"Yes. There are more and more cases where people feel unsure about who is bullying them, thinking that 'I'm being hated by the world,' and are mentally cornered more and more. Also, the terror of cyberbullying is that even after being bullied at school and transferring to another school, the bullying does not stop completely. There have been cases where the bullying has escalated due to trumpeting that the child is a child.”

To avoid becoming a victim of third parties. Minimum internet literacy that can be taught at home

① Do not upload selfies or school names. , that alone will identify the school

② Do not use hashtags easily Especially negative hashtags such as "#I want to die" and "#I want to disappear" can be an invitation to criminals.