Online Victimization: The Association between Parents’ Digital Savvy and Monitoring Strategies, to their Children’s Online Victimization and the Similarity between Parents’ and Children’s Perceptions of the Child’s Online Victimization

Major technological developments during this decade have influenced how individuals communicate one with another.  A group that has enthusiastically integrated these technologies into their daily lives are teenagers.  Today, a significant majority of teenagers are constantly online, enabling them to be in touch with their friends and peers.  This allow them to be exposed to new risks. One of these risks is for the teenager to become a victim of cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is a form of aggression carried out by the aggressors towards their victims using new technology communication platforms.   Studies have found that close to half the children have, at some point, been victims of online aggression and that there is a link between victimization and disturbing symptoms such as depression, truancy and substance abuse. That and the exposure of extreme cases with tragic outcomes by public and social media have caused public concern. These new risks are also of concern to parents who need to find ways to protect their children from cyberbullying and help them cope after being victimized.

The objectives of this study are to examine how aware parents are regarding their children’s experiencing online victimization and whether there is an association between parents’ digital savvy, digital literacy and parents’ mediation strategies and the likelihood of their children experiencing online victimization.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 109 parent child dyads from two different schools located in central Israel. The children were in grades 7 till 11. There were two anonymous questionnaires, one for the child and one for a parent. Each pair of questionnaires were linked. Parental permission was obtained on site.

Children were asked about their internet activity, online victimization experiences and coping methods. Parents were asked about their level of technological competence, their adaption of mediation strategies, their perception of their child’s online victimization and coping with their child’s online victimization experience.

Results: A vast majority of children are online and possess a smartphone. They text often and most of the children are active on social media.  This study shows that almost half of the children (46.2%) reported experiencing some form of online victimization but out of those, a half reported that they weren’t hurt by what they experienced.  The most common form of victimization was name calling. Out of the remaining half, almost a fifth said they shared their experience with a parent. Most of the children were proactive, and only a tenth reported doing nothing when victimized.

A vast majority of parents have smartphones and use social media mostly those for cellphones. They also communicate and follow their children on social media. Most parents use the internet daily for work related and personal tasks. They also report feeling competent using their computer and cellphones.

Most parents do not monitor their children’s computer activities with the exception of three forms of mediating strategies: discussing online risks and dangers, defining rules and regulations together with their children and befriending their children on social media. The explanation parents gave was that they trust their children.

This study found that there was a weak but significant association between parents’ perception of their child’s online victimization and what their children reported. Although parents were not likely to identify the exact form of online victimization, they were still aware that their child was experiencing. Different demographic variables were tested to be significant in identifying which parent or child was most likely to be aware but nothing significant was found.

No significant association was found between degree of parents’ digital literacy or savvy and likelihood of their child experiencing online victimization was found nor was there any significant association between using mediation strategies and the likelihood of the child to experience online victimization.

Conclusions: Parents are aware of their children experiencing online victimization which is encouraging. Their awareness in not dependent on their digital literacy or savvy but just good parenting skills that can help them assist their children in coping with what they are experiencing. It seems that monitoring their children is not efficient but rather keeping open channels of communication with their children.

Parents should engage their children and learn from them about their digital experiences but they don’t always have the tools to cope. School’s too have to cope with children and their online experiences today since they use the internet in education. Parents and schools should cooperate and schools together with the Ministry of Education, have the means to collect data and devise programs to assist both parents and children