According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), online violence against children such as sexual exploitation or cyberbullying can be prevented through education. School curricula with various elements such as videos, games, posters and discussions, and role-playing games are particularly popular, WHO reported on Friday. Homework and suggestions on how parents can deal with the problem are also helpful, as many parents wonder if they should allow their children to play an online game they don’t deem appropriate. Read what experts recommend here.
Online violence is not clearly defined. WHO has focused on the following in its search for best practices in studying the scientific literature: sexual exploitation of children published online; online extortion with photos; Contacting minors through online media with sexual content and cyber harassment, such as bullying through social media. Read here what you can do if your child is being cyberbullied.
Empathy training required
Young people should specifically learn how to ward off unwanted behavior, how to evade peer pressure and demonstrate assertiveness through body language. Important elements are also training in empathy so that they can put themselves in the shoes of others, impulse control, strategies for peaceful resolution of conflicts and how they themselves can protect other victims. Sex education is also part of this to prevent online assaults and other relationship violence.
Protection programs are particularly successful if they last several weeks, according to the WHO. A single larger event, such as in the school auditorium, with a film, presentation or puppet show is pretty ineffective. When it comes to cyberbullying education, good programs last an average of 22 weeks.
WHO writes that programs to prevent sexual exploitation must pay greater attention to the dangers of violence from the environment, family or acquaintances. Young people need to learn about healthy relationships and the risks of sharing intimate information or photos.
