My daughter spends a lot of time on the Internet

My 14-year-old daughter is spending a lot of time on the internet these days. However I am concerned about the growing reports of cyber bullying especially on the social media sites that she loves to visit. How best can I protect her from such situations? Jerome, Nyarutarama Dear Jerome, thank you so much for raising this issue. Indeed the growing technological advances have created new challenges for many parents many of whom are not even as tech savvy as their children. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram for example and so many others have increased the vulnerability of our children to cases of cyber bullying. A cyber bully is someone who uses a computer or a cell phone to send messages to embarrass, annoy, threaten or tease someone else. Start by talking to your child about internet safety. Remind her never to share her passwords with anyone even with friends. One of the most common and devastating forms of cyber bullying often comes after the break up of a friendship when one child will use the password provided by his former friend to send out messages from that former friend’s account. Watch your child’s reaction to calls or text messages. Does the child seem unusually anxious and avoid the phone or the computer? Also check the history on your child’s computer and find out what sites she has been visiting. Watch your child. A sudden drop in grades, avoidance of the computer and reluctance to attend school all may be signs of a child’s victimisation by cyber bullies.Google your child’s name. Check on a regular basis to see what information about your child is available on the web. Better yet, create a Google alert to let you know when your child has been referenced in cyber space. More importantly report any suspicion to the police.Send your parenting questions to education@newtimes.co.rw