Social media can be a wonderful thing, but it also has a darker and more dangerous side, and nowhere does it seem more nasty than how it’s increasingly used by children and young people. In the space of just a few weeks I’ve come across several articles in the media describing filmed attacks on children that are then shared on social media – one outside the school gates and another about a school where the trend appears to be endemic  – horrific for the children involved and, quite apart from the anger the parents feel, heartbreaking as well.

Social media is empowering bullies

As a parent of three myself, when it comes to experiences of bullying I’ve been there. I’d go so far as to say that most children will experience some kind of bullying, even something as minor as one kid deliberately tripping up another in the playground, at some point in their lives. But social media is propelling bullying to a stratospheric new level. Not only is the violence horrific, sharing the videos online – with the possibility that they can go viral – is both humiliating and dangerous.

Just imagine how it might impact on a child’s mental health. Both articles refer to the feelings that those children interviewed are struggling with – the fear of going out, the desire to move to a different school. God forbid that such feelings should evolve into thoughts of suicide. Or that, one day, an attack will result in serious injury or even death.

No amount of safeguarding policy reviews by schools will resolve this problem. So what can we do for our children to keep them safe? Bullying will never go away but I would advocate for enabling our children to take care of themselves, to give them effective tools to defend themselves.

Learning Krav Maga can make a difference

Krav Maga is incredibly empowering but let’s be clear here, it’s absolutely not about equipping children with the ability to give as good as they get if they are attacked – I am wholly opposed to the concept of churning out mini fighting machines. When a child learns Krav Maga, they also learn discipline, they develop greater awareness of their surroundings and situations, they grow in self confidence. These qualities are as integral to Krav Maga as the defensive skills they learn – the ability to physically defend themselves is perhaps the very last resort in the event they find themselves under threat.

Bullies will always look for victims that they perceive to be weaker than themselves. Learning Krav Maga gives children an inner strength and sense of pride and self-belief. That mental shift can translate into physical change, the way in which they walk or even how they sit within a group. It can be almost imperceptible, but I never get tired of seeing how my younger students develop.

Would you like your child to learn Krav Maga?

We run Krav Maga classes for different age groups at Jubilee High School on Wednesdays and Cobham Free School on Thursdays. Private classes can also be arranged. Get in touch to book a session and don’t forget the first class is free!