Children and teenagers offending, hurting or bullying each other are of all times, but nowadays this behaviour is increasingly taking place online. According to researcher Chiara de Jong, the role of bystanders in countering this behaviour online is very important, just as in offline situations: "By standing up for each other online, you can shift the social norm."
In the talk show Studio Erasmus, Chiara de Jong talks about her research in which she asks about the online world of children and teens. She sees that they need support from the physical environment in their online world and especially in online bullying. "They would like a button to block someone or for their parents to set a screen limit, because they would really like to do something other than be on their phones." Asked if banning phones inside school would solve anything, she replies, "If that makes young people more aware of their phones outside school as well and more conscious about when they use them, then that's not wrong."
Condemning your child doesn't help
Presenter Geert Maarse concludes by asking what parents can do to make their children resilient against online bullying. "They should be given space to explore and make mistakes," says De Jong. "In addition, parents should set a good example about how they handle their phones and social media. Keep up the conversation, because children like to go to their parents when they are troubled by something. In doing so, give them the feeling that the behaviour is not condemned. This does not mean that they can do everything, but that if they do something it will not be condemned."
Watch the whole interview:
- Researcher
- More information
Find out when the next Studio Erasmus takes place: https://www.eur.nl/en/research/studio-erasmus
Listen to the Studio Erasmus podcast via Spotify.
- Related content
