Helping Teens Cope With Online Abuse

Teens today face the same basic social drama that we dealt with when WE were young, but for them, every move is magnified by the internet. What was once a rumor that spread around LOCALLY as cliques gossiped in the quad during lunch for us, is now instantly spread to everyone AND their friends through group texts, Facebook posts, Snapchat, Instragram, etc. 

To put it in relative terms (depending on their social network), teens are dealing with a quad the size of a small city, filled with everyone they know and everyone their FRIENDS know, and those spreading hate and rumors are standing on a stage with a microphone and a speaker system that would make Pink Floyd green with envy. Basically, hurtful and just plain mean comments are blasted online instantaneously, sending teens into despair as they retreat into depression and feelings of isolation.

I read about an interesting study by Robert Selman and Emily Weinstein (a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a doctoral student, respectively), that discusses how teens help each other deal with online stress and abuse. They review what peers recommend and they give tips on how parents can reach out to teens who are targeted by cyberbullying and online stressful situations.

The basic gist is that helping teens with these problems involves being empathic, bolstering their self-esteem, and perhaps most importantly, really trying to understand the increased scope of what kids have to deal with today. Having an understanding of the social landscape can help parents partner with their teens to get through the situation.

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