GOOD CHOICES CAN STOP BULLYING
TOWNSVILLE students are being armed with powerful anti- bullying messages to reduce the menace that is cyber- bullying.
Townsville Catholic Education has launched a campaign in high schools to tackle the inappropriate use of social media.
The initiative, called # makeachoiceyouwontregret, has students talking about cyber bullying and sexting in a series of videos which are shown in Catholic schools across Townsville.
Senior Catholic Education social worker Jennifer Blackshaw, who oversees student protection, said the campaign was borne out of the need to keep teenagers safe online.
Last term, Ms Blackshaw approached schools and engaged with secondary students on the issue.
“We were committed to having this project driven by the students,” she said. “We provided the space and concept, but the students came up with the content and ideas.”
The project set out to develop one short film focusing on keeping safe online but ended up being transformed into a series of four short films due to the “incredible content” the students contributed.
Railway Estate mother Faith Gallagher Nall, whose eldest daughter attends a local Catholic high school, said she applauded any campaign that aimed to decrease cyber- bullying among teenagers.
“It has ( bullying) been an issue in my family, so it’s a subject close to my heart,” she said. “It’s great that education authorities are putting campaigns and programs in place
Set your Wi- Fi to turn off overnight.
Put your child’s electronics in a locked box.
Get your child a watch and alarm clock so they don’t rely on their phones for this function.
Know all your child’s passwords and check regularly.
Check out the E- safety website on helpful hints and tips to keep safe online.
Keep up to date with emerging issues.
Know your child’s friends and make sure they can tell you about everyone who is following them or who they are following.
Teach your kids it’s not OK to talk to strangers.
Teach your kids not to reply to negative messages. Tell them to talk to parents and come up with a solution if there is concerning behaviour. If kids don’t think they can talk without losing electronics they will sneak behind your back. to reduce cyber- bullying but I think even more needs to be done.”
Ms Gallagher Nall said her teenager was mostly banned from social media during the week and limited to specific times on weekends.
“But the non- negotiable rule in our house is that I have full access to all social media accounts.”
Townsville psychologist Carolyn Seri, who holds anti- bullying and resilience workshops, said the biggest issue with cyber- bullying was that it was 24/ 7.
“It is in your child’s bedroom at 2am if they have a phone and WiFi,” the ZingPinMe founder said. “The people who cyber bully could be anyone from around the globe or kids from school. The child’s brain is not developed enough to handle their digital footprint and they need our guidance and supervision.”