Teenagers today enjoy sharing photos online, communicating with friends through Messenger, emails, chat rooms and social media. This may seem fun as this gives them the opportunity to make friends online, but the downside of this is Cyberbullying ~ a type of bullying that happens online or thru text messages or emails.

Instead of strengthening connections, some teens use social media to harass or humiliate others. Some may send inappropriate messages while others spread rumors or make fun of someone. With the widespread use of internet among teenagers today, we need to make sure they are safe on this kind of online threat. 

Here are some tips to help protect your teens against Cyberbullying: 

1. Be Kind Online

Your online activity reflects who you are as a person. Always treat others how you want to be treated. Being helpful and kind online is the best way to keep the Internet safe and fun for everybody. If you happened to receive a negative comment respond to it in a positive way. 

Always refuse to participate in any negative online behavior. Instead, support campaigns that will help others become responsible online. 

As an educator, I am thankful for campaigns like the #makeITsafePH of Globe Telecom, a cybersecurity and cyberwellness campaign to educate consumers about online threats and what they can do to avoid becoming a victim. This campaign includes the Digital Thumbprint Program, a campaign that teaches teens how to understand the impact of their online behavior and how to be safe and responsible for their online activities. Campaigns like this will surely help in spreading kindness online.

2. Think Before You Post

Before you post anything online, think first! The 4 Way Test of the Rotary is a helpful tool for your teens in providing a more sensible post online. 

Another thing to remember is, never open unidentified messages. Never click any suspicious links even if they look very interesting. 

3. Secure Passwords

Set strong passwords. Never share your passwords to others, not even your bestfriend. It is also important that you log out of your email and social media accounts after using a public computer. 

4. Manage Privacy Settings

Privacy settings control who can see your profile and private posts. Restrict your online profile to friends only. Only connect and share with people you know in real life. 

5. Monitor Online Activities

Monitor your child’s activities online. Add them as friends on your social media sites. Educate them about what is and what is not okay to do online. Tell them that they can freely share any messages they get online that makes them sad or scared. 

Cyberbullying is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. It can lead to psychological implications such as depression and violence and it can also lead to school failure. We need to do something now so that we can protect the younger generation against it. 

Krispy Kreme, the home of famous doughnuts and coffee transforms the glaze curtains of its doughnut machines into rich, velvety chocolate curtains, creating the incredible chocolate moment for everyone who will stop by their factory stores. 

Chocoholics will surely love the three mouth watering variants: Chocolate Glazed, Chocolate Glazed with Sprinkles and Double Chocolate Cake. 

About one-third of elementary public school students in the Philippines suffer from head lice-related problems. Head lice infestation or pediculosis can cause severe itchiness and infection of the scalp, but this could be the least of these children’s worries; the social stigma associated with having kuto can leave lasting psychological damage on both children and their parents.

A survey of communities visited by the Licealiz caravan last year found that 47% of respondents from Visayas and 76% of respondents from Mindanao said that their children were bullied and teased for having head lice, causing some of them to miss school to avoid their peers. The parents, on the other hand, feel incompetent and embarrassed for being unable to prevent head lice from infesting their children.

In response to this, Lamoiyan Corporation’s Licealiz Head Lice Treatment Shampoo launched Nationwide Oplan Alis Kuto as a part of its Kilusang Kontra Kuto effort to educate the public on lice infestation issues. The caravan was launched in partnership with the Department of Education, University of the Philippines Manila College of Public Health and Mommy Bloggers Philippines with the goal of traveling to different schools and barangays all over the country to hold shampooing programs and lectures for students and their parents. 

Lamoiyan Corporation is set to end the year with 30 public schools visited and over 8,000 children shampooed.

“We want to remove the stigma associated with having kuto by educating communities on lice infestation issues,” said Lamoiyan Corporation Marketing Director Bing Cavestany. 

“We want to drive home the message that everyone can be potentially infested by kuto, that it’s not something to be ashamed about, and definitely not something to ridicule others for. We also hope to encourage these communities to unite and take action to solve this public health problem together,” shared Cavestany. 

Licealiz invites everyone to join the Kilusang Kontra Kuto in changing the public’s perception about head lice infestation and spreading correct information regarding head lice prevention and treatment. 

For more information on head lice prevention and treatment, visit Licealiz’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/licealiz.