Parents want the best for their kids. They want to keep children safe and warm, but there are far more dangers in the world today than ever before. This is all thanks to technology. While tech has opened many good doors, it has also opened the doors to cyberbullying – something that teenagers don’t talk much about.
Just why don’t teenagers talk about cyberbullying? Don’t they realize that it is better to tell someone? Here are the top 5 reasons why teenagers don’t tell.
They Fear More Attacks
Cyberbullies are very much like normal bullies. They will attack when they feel attacked themselves. There’s this fear from the victims that if they tell, they will just make the whole thing worse. They don’t want to put themselves at more risk, so prefer to deal with it themselves. There is a belief that the bully will eventually give up and move on.
Kids Are Ashamed
Pride is a powerful thing, especially in victims. The kids don’t want to talk to their teachers or parents because they feel ashamed. This can be especially the case in strict households. Kids feel like they are weak and should be able to deal with something like this themselves. They feel alone in the world and can’t imagine that their parents ever went through something like this.
There’s a Feeling of It Being Normal
On the other hand, children could feel like cyberbullying is normal. Aren’t other people getting bullied? There are chances that kids will feel this way. They may have heard about how their parents were bullied at school and cyberbullying is just the next stage in a digital world. Kids feel like it’s a right of passage that they need to go through, not realizing that they are victims of hurtful human beings. In some cases, children – especially teenagers – feel like they will be accepted if they can weather the storm.
They Don’t See the Point
Will telling on the cyberbully change anything? This is a common opinion, as there’s the view that nothing can be done. Children just don’t see the point in telling, since bullies can hide behind computer screens anonymously. In fact, teenagers may not know who the actual person is – humans are horrible to one another when it comes to typing anonymously because the individuals believe they will get away with it.
Kids Don’t Think You’ll Believe Them
The fifth common reason is doubt. Teenagers doubt that you will believe them that they are being bullied, especially over the internet. This doubt can come from being bullied – the individuals doing the bullying tell their victims that nobody will ever believe them. After all, as mentioned, they may not even know who is doing the bullying.
If they know the cyberbully, parents and teachers may not believe that the individual is capable of such a thing. The cyberbully may be the golden child of the family or the star pupil. Surely such a good student couldn’t possibly be a bully!
Related: Signs that Your Child May be a Victim of Cyberbullying
Teenagers don’t tell. It’s not that they don’t want to in many cases, but because they feel like they don’t have a choice. They’re worried of the repercussions if they tell – from the cyberbully and the cyberbully’s friends. Teenagers worry about not fitting in or not being believed if they do tell. Parents need to keep an eye out for signs of cyberbullying to help encourage their teenagers to talk about it.
