20 June 2014 being  Stop Cyberbullying Day (http://www.cybersmile.org/ stop-Cyberbullying-day), entails that any other working days in the calendar tantamounts to making use of Cyberbullying which is today contributed  by means of cell phones, followed by instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms or for that matter, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to stalk, threaten or coerce someone.

Cyberbullying is frequently done by children owing to anger, revenge or frustration. Occasionally they do it for entertaining themselves or else simply for the reason that they are bored and have ample amount of time on their hands and too many tech toys at the offing and arm’s length.

In today’s technology torqued era, it has become way too easy than ever before for bullies to be able to attack the susceptible.

Certainly goes by without saying that the very culture of extensive over-sharing on social networks that has developed into the norm in society today has unknowingly thrown what may be termed as fuel unto the fire.

Here, it’s vital that one talks to the future generation which are the children as regards Cyberbullying.  If you happen to be a parent of a child who is on the receiving end, prompt them that they’re not alone.

It’s a problem confronted by many other children too; and is one that some of their idols whom they tend to gratify have suffered too – From Miley Cyrus, to Cheryl Cole, followed by Demi Lovato, Kim Kardashian and a host of others who have cited their experiences.

Speaking on this day, Mr. Altaf Halde, Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab -South Asia held that ‘On the Internet, you can find information about almost anything. However, when it comes to your children’s online activities, you need to make sure they’re protected against contact with undesirable people, inappropriate or harmful content and malicious software or attacks. Children can be just as vulnerable online as they are in the real world. So it’s important that you do whatever you can to reduce the chances of your kids being exposed to any risks.’

If you’re a parent, Kaspersky Lab bequeaths the following checklist involving top tips for keeping your children safe from the perils of Cyberbullying :-

• Talk to your children about the potential dangers that they stand at risk to face online.
• Inspire them to talk to you about their online experience and, in precise, anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or vulnerable.  Protecting children from cyberbullies is specifically challenging with smartphones, as they can be targeted in so many ways, exclusively once out of sight of their parents. Deal with Cyberbullying as you would deal with bullying in real life: raise the spirits of children to be open and talk to a trusted adult if they receive any threatening or inappropriate messages. Numbers and contacts on apps can both be blocked if they are making children uncomfortable or unhappy.
• Fix clear ground-rules about what they can and can’t do online and explain why you have put them in place. You should review these as your child gets older.
• Make use of parental control software to be able to establish the framework for what’s acceptable – how much time (and when) they can spend online, what content should be blocked, what types of activity should be blocked (chat rooms, forums, and so on). Parental control filters can be configured for different computer profiles, allowing you to customize the filters for different children.
• Don’t forget to make use of settings provided by your ISP, device manufacturer and mobile phone network provider.  As for instance most phones allow you to prevent in-app purchases, so you can avoid them running up hefty bills when they play games.
• Install a rigorous anti-malware product that’s capable of defending the device against malicious programs and hackers. Many Internet security software products combine antivirus capabilities and advanced Parental Control features that makes it easier to safeguard your children when they’re online.
• Don’t forget about your children’s smartphones – these are sophisticated computers, not just mere phones. Most smartphones arrive with parental controls and security software providers may offer apps to filter out inappropriate content, senders of nuisance SMS messages, etc.
• Make use of the wealth of great advice available over the Internet – together with CEOP’s thinkuknow (http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ ) website in this aspect.