MASTER CLASS: Protecting Children from Cyberbullying and Online Predation

The internet is now part of our children's daily lives, but it also exposes them to very real risks: mockery and threats on social media, humiliating content being shared, and approaches by malicious adults who seek to manipulate the youngest users. How can we recognize the warning signs? How can we talk with children about it? What steps can we take to protect them? This master class will answer these questions, guided by one clear message: Protect, Inform, Prevent. What you need to understand - Cyberbullying : harassing, threatening or humiliating someone through digital tools. - Online predation : luring or manipulating someone on the Internet in order to exploit or harm them. - Grooming : gradually gaining a person's trust online in order to manipulate or sexually exploit them. Recognize the warning signs - Behavioral: withdrawal, declining school performance, sleep and appetite problems. - Digital: unknown or older contacts, systematically deleted messages, hidden or secondary accounts. Prevent 1. Talk openly 2. Set up technical safeguards (settings, controls) 3. Establish clear rules Useful contacts at Benin - 138: Child assistance helpline - 114: INF listening line - 151: CNIN Benin "The best protection remains an available, informed and non-judgmental adult."