Cyberbullying main concern for 56% Emirati parents – GulfToday

Cyberbullying main concern for 56% Emirati parents – GulfToday

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent Being a parent was never easy as it involves constantly worrying about the child. However, it became even more challenging in modern times when various digital threats came to the stage. Such dangers as cyberbullying emerged with their ability to provoke stress, depression and social isolation. However, all can be prevented by maintaining prompt communication with a child and giving them a right stance regarding the Internet. According to "Responsible Digital Parenting" survey, 56% of Emirati parents claim that cyberbullying is a top concern when it comes to worries about their children. It is no surprise as this Internet phenomenon have already caused such problems as decrease in social activity and social isolation (40%), decreased self-esteem (39%), negative impact on child's performance at school (36%), ongoing stress (31%) and depression (31%). Additionally, 32% of children in the UAE have actually come across cyberbullying, be that being bullies themselves, seeing cases among their friends or being bullied. This impressive number should have made parents think about the ways to prevent the proliferation of this phenomenon, however, not all the parents are aware of this. Particularly, 32% of parents haven't discussed the ethics of the Internet with their