Parents Or Not, We All Must Stand Up For Children Being Bullied Online
My Personal Reasons for Launching Parents Against Trolls & Trolling with Lighthouse International Group
Growing up in ‘90s suburban Melbourne, Australia, there were few people of colour at my primary school. I remember one sunny day, walking home from school, and two white boys sneering at me and calling me “gook”. I didn’t understand what was happening, let alone the racial slur with which I was being labelled.
Bullying continued to be a mainstay of high school as well. For being clever, I was a square. For wearing glasses, I was four-eyes. For being a flat-chested 13 year old, I was a surfboard. And I mean, if this is what was being said to my face by my so-called friends, what did everyone else think of me?
For impressionable young minds, it’s a minefield out there, and navigating the emotions that come up can be positively overwhelming. Imagine how it must feel growing up today! With endless portals of connectivity, social media, online gaming and the like, there are so many ways for “friends” to continue enacting their dark pathology outside of the classroom.
The consequences of trolling for today’s children will echo throughout the rest of their lives. When I was a teenager, my experiences led to suicidal thoughts and self-harm. It has taken many years and much effort to come to terms with this, and I continue to be supported to work through it and find healing.
Other children aren’t so lucky. 60% of young people have witnessed online bullying, and victims of trolling are nearly twice as likely to commit suicide after being bullied online.
What if we could help? What if we could educate ourselves better, educate our children better? Our new initiative is about individuals taking responsibility to act together as a community, and be part of the solution.
Lighthouse International Group Head Mentor Paul Waugh explains his personal and heartfelt reasons as to why we have launched Parents Against Trolls & Trolling in the video below.
Click here to learn more, and to register your support for Parents Against Trolls & Trolling.
You can also discover how mentorship can empower you to stand up to the bullies and difficult people in your life, whilst helping children do the same, on our Mentoring & Coaching page.
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