Fundacion Alia2

Good morning, I am called Marisa and I have a 13 year old son. My son has a computer in his room and I know that he spends a lot of time, including at night, on the Internet. How I can find out if he is being harassed? He does not tell me anything at all, only that he plays games on the Internet, but I do not know to use the computer to check what he does or which social networks he uses.

Children being bullied, sometimes do not explain what is going through them fear or shame, but they send us signs that something is wrong.

The usual symptoms in children being bullied through the internet are  characterised by fits of anxiety, that can also be accompanied by  aggressiveness, as an answer to the attack that they are suffering or sadness. Changes in the relations and interests are also usual. Another characteristic symptom is the use of inappropriate language for their age. They usually manifest as difficulties in learning, concentration and attention, that have repercussions on their school performance. Although the most characteristic symptom is an avoidance of the use of the PC and of Internet.

It is imporant to remember that not all the children develop all of the symptoms, nor is the intensity the same.

We are going to propose some guidelines for the prevention of risks and protection of your children on the Internet:

- Open communication: Speak with your child naturally, you can turn into a source of information to which your child can turn, as well as supporting learning and help in relation to the use of the Internet.

- Use the Internet with them, do a recreational activity that you can share, your child can teach you and you to teach him.

- The computer should have to be situated in a shared area of the house, not in their room, where use cannot be neither controlled nor supervised.

- It is a good idea that you establish  some guidelines in relation to the time and schedule of use.

- In relation to contact with strangers, you should make it clear that, if they do not personally know a person for much time, on the Internet all the world is a stranger, you should not speak with them. They should not send to, or receive files from strangers. They should never stay with a friend made on the Internet, and much less alone.

- Teach them which personal data you should not put on the Internet(telephone, personal data, address...).

I would like to recommend that you visit our website and review our essential advise for parents and children.