Bullying is making fun of, insulting or otherwise, making mean comments about another peer, colleague or classmate.

Ciberbullying is the use of technology (e-mails, text messages, chat rooms, video cameras, etc.) to insult, make fun of, or hurt another person’s feelings.

The existence of a few bad apples in any group of people or community always makes life especially difficult for those that are more sensitive or weaker in a physical or mental capacity. The same is true in cyberspace.

Young people are especially susceptible to harassment, threats and insults via email, instant text messages, or photographs that are posted on the Internet. So how can we prevent ciberbullying?

All of these issues beg the following questions:

1 – What do you know about your child and their use of the internet?

2 – Would you allow your child to use the internet at the age of 11, 12, 13…?

3 -What are the pros/cons of mobile phones among teenagers?

4 – What role should telephone companies play in the solution?

5 – How should /can parents monitor the use of technologies (mobile phones, the Internet) at home?

Parry Aftab is an expert in this field and offers her particular analysis of the problem.