Cyber-bullying now the top concern for parents of teens: survey
Posted January 13, 2015 11:04 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It’s a startling reality for many moms and dads: cyberbullying now outranks drugs and alcohol as a top concern for Canadian parents.
“The Internet and the increasing use that adolescents have of it have increased parents’ awareness and concern about what goes on on the Internet,” says psychology professor Dr. Wendy Craig with Queen’s University.
According to the survey from Primus and PREVnet, 48 per cent of parents are worried about cyberbullying, which leads the list of concerns that also include to teen pregnancy (44%), drug use (40%) and alcohol use (38%)
The survey finds one in five parents admit to sharing intimate photos online or via text, according to a survey. But about a third claim they are very worried about their child’s image being shared without consent.
“I think it speaks to the importance about parents being self-aware about their own behaviour — what they’re role modelling and what they’re engaging in, and how it’s setting the standards for their children,” says Craig.
She says education is the best form of defense.
“Parents need to do a self-assessment and say, ‘Do I know about privacy settings on social media sites like Facebook? Do I even know how Snapchat works? Do I know about my child’s Twitter account and how Twitter works? What are the risks associated with it and how can my child protect themself?'”
The survey also found that about ten per cent of parents have seen a photo from their child’s phone or their friend’s phone which is intended to hurt someone.
