The problem of cyberbullying has gained vital consideration in recent times as a result of widespread use of the web and social media platforms particularly.
Cyberbullying is classically outlined as the usage of digital communication to bully, harass, or intimidate one other particular person. It will possibly have extreme penalties for the sufferer’s psychological well being and well-being — and is typically even deadly.
Fortuitously, software program instruments at the moment are out there to assist fight cyberbullying, and probably the most well-liked is Bark.
What Is Bark?
Bark is a software program software that makes use of superior synthetic intelligence algorithms to observe and analyze the digital exercise of kids and youngsters. It’s designed to assist mother and father and guardians preserve their kids secure from on-line predators and cyberbullying. As soon as put in, the app can be utilized to handle and monitor their kids’s Apple iOS and Google Android units.
Bark displays a variety of digital platforms, together with social media, textual content messaging, and e mail, and it will possibly alert mother and father and guardians to potential points earlier than they grow to be severe issues.
How Does Bark Work?
Bark makes use of superior machine studying algorithms to research the content material of digital messages and determine potential threats. The software program can analyze textual content, pictures, and movies and acknowledge patterns which will point out cyberbullying, threats of violence, or different harmful behaviors.
When Bark detects a possible difficulty, it sends an alert to the kid’s mum or dad or guardian and a abstract of the content material that triggered the alert. The software program can even present steerage on learn how to deal with the state of affairs and recommend sources for additional assist.
Given the huge recognition of smartphones and tablets, the cold-turkey method of banning kids from utilizing digital units is mostly unsuccessful. Resentment is usually a consequence — to not point out that many kids will use their ingenuity to get their fingers on a digital system.
The genius of Bark’s method is that it permits kids to proceed to make use of their digital units — notably smartphones. Parental monitoring of a smartphone encourages kids to behave responsibly, earn belief, and alert mother and father to potential cyberbullying-related issues earlier than tragedy strikes.
Bark Options
Bark has many options designed to assist mother and father and guardians monitor their kids’s digital exercise and shield them from on-line risks. A number of the most notable options embody:
- Monitoring a number of digital platforms: Bark displays a variety of digital platforms, together with social media, textual content messaging, and e mail. This facet signifies that mother and father and guardians can control their little one’s exercise throughout a number of platforms with out having to log into every platform individually.
- Customizable alerts: Dad and mom and guardians can customise the forms of alerts they obtain from Bark primarily based on their little one’s age and the forms of content material they wish to monitor. For instance, they’ll set alerts for cyberbullying, sexting, or violent threats.
- Clever evaluation: Bark makes use of superior synthetic intelligence algorithms to research the content material of digital messages and determine potential points. The software program can acknowledge patterns and determine doubtlessly harmful conditions earlier than they escalate.
- Assist for a number of units: Bark will be put in on quite a few units, together with smartphones, tablets, and laptops, making it straightforward to observe a baby’s digital exercise throughout all their units.
- Simple to make use of: Bark is straightforward to arrange and use, with a easy interface that permits mother and father and guardians to view their little one’s digital exercise and obtain alerts.
Bark Advantages
Bark affords a number of advantages for folks and guardians involved about their kids’s on-line security.
Firstly, Bark facilitates the early detection of potential points. Bark can determine potential points earlier than they grow to be severe issues, permitting mother and father and guardians to intervene early and stop hurt.
Secondly, Bark supplies a useful diploma of peace of thoughts to folks who want to control their kids inside and out of doors the house. This consolation manifests itself within the information that folks, caregivers, or guardians are taking steps to guard their kids from on-line risks.
As well as, Bark’s answer supplies customizable alerts that enable mother and father and guardians to personalize the forms of alerts they obtain, to allow them to concentrate on the precise forms of content material that concern them. This functionality is essential as particular person kids have totally different maturity ranges, and it permits mother and father to personalize the type of content material that youngsters get entry to. The consequence is the chance to construct a extra substantial diploma of belief between mum or dad and little one.
Since kids usually have entry to a number of linked units, Bark will be put in on quite a few merchandise, so mother and father and guardians can monitor their little one’s exercise throughout all their units. It’s additionally useful that Bark is straightforward to arrange and use, with a easy interface that permits mother and father and guardians to observe their little one’s digital exercise and obtain alerts. In different phrases, even technology-challenged mother and father can use Bark with no sharp studying curve.
Partnership With Calix
Final yr, Calix introduced a strategic partnership with Bark. Calix is among the main international suppliers of cloud and software program platforms, programs, and providers that broadband service suppliers (BSP) use to ship a unified entry community and the sensible dwelling of tomorrow.
The Bark partnership is telling because it underscores Calix’s mutual concern about cyberbullying, as it’s the typical type of harassment confronted by teenagers and tweens. Calix has well added Bark to its rising system of premium system choices in its Calix Income EDGE Suites that BSPs can provide to broadband subscribers.
Via this partnership, Calix and Bark enable even the smallest BSPs, who usually don’t have the sources to implement capabilities like Bark by itself, to enlarge their worth proposition to the communities they function in. The result’s that BSPs are empowered to assist households shield kids at dwelling, faculty, and nearly anyplace on the earth.
In a latest SmartTechCheck podcast, I had the chance to talk with Bark’s World CMO, Titania Jordan, and Megan Powell, Calix’s Director of Product Advertising and marketing, the place we mentioned the corporate’s partnership and dedication to sort out cyberbullying.
Closing Ideas
Cyberbullying is a severe difficulty that may have vital penalties for youngsters and youngsters. Fortuitously, software program instruments like Bark at the moment are out there to assist mother and father and guardians tackle this downside proactively and robustly.
The rise of the smartphone and its recognition with kids has created unprecedented challenges for folks. Bark experiences that its answer has already coated 6.5 million kids, detected a staggering 1.1 million extreme self-harm conditions, and three million extreme bullying circumstances.
Calix has a protracted and spectacular historical past with BSPs to make sure that kids’s on-line presence is safer. The truth is, Calix was one of many first corporations to offer parental controls to BSPs in 2019 by way of its ExperienceIQ providing.
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The Calix/Bark/BSP dynamic’s enterprise implications additionally deserve point out. Calix’s DNA is characterised by its capability to permit BSPs to handle, deploy, market, and function a lot of these premium providers in a resource-friendly method. The Bark aspect amplifies Calix’s worth proposition with BSPs as a result of it accelerates time-to-market with wholly built-in turnkey options.
Cyberbullying could also be a Twenty first-century downside which will by no means go away fully. Nonetheless, Bark and its partnership with Calix is a decisive step in the correct route that may assist dramatically mitigate this downside.
Sadly, households are confronted with quite a few digital risks that threaten their kids on a 24/7 foundation. By combining forces, Calix and Bark have raised the bar — and expectation — on what accountable know-how corporations can and will do to guard our kids’s lives.
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