VOA慢速英语2021--应对网络欺凌的小贴士

Tips to Address Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to threaten or insult someone. Concern over cyberbullying has been at the center of recent criticism directed at social media companies.

Last month, Facebook delayed the development of its child version of Instagram after opposition³ from American lawmakers and safety advocacy organizations.

More than 40 state attorneys general wrote a letter to Facebook founder⁴ Mark Zuckerberg urging him to stop the release of the project. Social media can be "detrimental⁵ to the health and well-being⁶ of children," and kids' Instagram could make cyberbullying worse, the letter said.

Facebook's own data showed that Instagram can be harmful to teens' mental health, especially girls. The information was first reported by The Wall Street Journal last September.

Cyberbullying also appears to be worse among girls, says a 2019 survey by the National Center for Education Statistics. While 20.4 percent of students bullied⁷ online were girls, 10.9 percent were boys. Of the 22 percent of all kids ages 12 to 18 that were bullied during the school year, 16 percent of students said they were bullied electronically.

A study by the organization Common Sense Media in 2019 found that teenagers use an average of 7 hours, 22 minutes of entertainment media a day. And that does not include time using media for school. Pew Research said the amount of time that children spent online also increased during the pandemic.

With more time online comes a higher risk of exposure to cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can make feelings of depression worse and negatively impact mental health. Common Sense found that 38 percent of teens and young adults were depressed⁸ in 2020, up from 25 percent two years before. Higher levels of depression also were connected to higher levels of social media use.

Almost all young people use some form of social media but may not know the risks they face online.

October is National Bullying² Prevention Awareness⁹ Month. Using free resources from StopBullying.gov and Common Sense Education, here are ways adults can help children deal with cyberbullying:

Know the warning signs of cyberbullying

A child can be involved in cyberbullying in different ways. They can bully¹, be bullied, or witness the bullying of others. The more digital forms of communication a child uses, the more exposure he or she may get to cyberbullying. Parents, teachers and other adults need to be aware of children's online usage.

Some warning signs that a child may be involved in cyberbullying are:

Spending much more or less time on electronic devices, including texting

Hiding their screen when others are near, and avoiding discussion about what they are doing on their device

Closing social media accounts and opening new ones

Avoiding social situations, even ones that were enjoyed in the past

Becoming depressed, or losing interest in people and activities

How to address cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is like other forms of bullying and should be handled in a similar way. If a child is being cyberbullied, adults should support the child being bullied and address the behavior of the child doing the bullying. Adults should show children that cyberbullying is something serious that should be stopped.

If a child sees hateful content online, there are a few easy ways they can deal with it. The child could report the content anonymously¹¹, as hateful speech violates most websites' terms of service. They can also block the person from posting abusive content. While ignoring posts might seem easier than blocking someone, it will not make the problem go away.

Adults can try to make their kids feel more empathy towards others and consider how other people feel. They should see whether more help is needed for those involved, like speaking to a guidance counselor¹² or mental health professional.

Cyberbullying may be impossible to stop completely, but parents could watch their child's behavior and internet time.

France has taken stronger measures against cyberbullying. In January, the country created a special court to try online crimes, including harassment¹⁴ and bullying. Eleven people were convicted this summer of using the internet to harass¹³ a teenage girl, including sending her death threats.

Words in This Story

advocacy — n. the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal : the act or process of advocating something

detrimental — adj. causing damage or injury

kid— n. a young person

bully — n. someone who frightens, hurts, or threatens smaller or weaker people

exposure — n. the fact or condition of being affected¹⁵ by something or experiencing something

anonymous¹⁰ — adj. not named or identified

empathy — n. the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions

harass — v. to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way

1 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

2 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 detrimental   

adj.损害的，造成伤害的

参考例句：

• We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk.我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。
• He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health.他不相信吸烟有害健康。

6 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

7 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

9 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

10 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

11 anonymously   

ad.用匿名的方式

参考例句：

• The manuscripts were submitted anonymously. 原稿是匿名送交的。
• Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 536 teachers anonymously. 方法采用自编“中小学教师职业压力问卷”对536名中小学教师进行无记名调查。

12 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

13 harass   

vt.使烦恼，折磨，骚扰

参考例句：

• Our mission is to harass the landing of the main Japaness expeditionary force.我们的任务是骚乱日本远征军主力的登陆。
• They received the order to harass the enemy's rear.他们接到骚扰敌人后方的命令。

14 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

15 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。