The issue of cyberbullying has received significant attention in recent years, particularly due to the widespread use of the Internet and social media platforms.

Cyberbullying is classically defined as the use of electronic communication to threaten, harass, or intimidate another person. This can have serious consequences – and sometimes fatal – for the mental health and wellbeing of the victim.

Fortunately, there are now software tools available to help combat cyberbullying, and one of the most popular is BARC.

What is bark?

Bark is a software tool that uses advanced Artificial Intelligence algorithms to monitor and analyze the digital activity of children and adolescents. It is designed to help parents and guardians keep their children safe from online predators and cyberbullying. Once installed, the app can be used to manage and monitor their kids’ Apple iOS and Google Android devices.

Bark monitors a wide range of digital platforms, including social media, text messaging and email, and can alert parents and guardians to potential issues before they become a serious problem.

How does BARC work?

BARC uses advanced machine learning algorithms to analyze the content of digital messages and identify potential threats. The software can analyze text, images, and videos and recognize patterns that may indicate cyberbullying, threats of violence, or other dangerous behaviors.

When Bark detects a potential problem, it sends an alert to the child’s parent or guardian and a summary of the content that triggered the alert. The software can provide guidance on how to handle the situation and suggest resources for further support.

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Given the widespread popularity of smartphones and tablets, the cold-turkey approach of restricting children from using digital devices is generally unsuccessful. Outrage is often a result – not to mention that many kids will use their ingenuity to get their hands on a digital device.

The genius of Bark’s approach is that it allows kids to continue using their digital devices — especially smartphones. Parental monitoring of smartphones encourages children to act responsibly, earns trust, and alerts parents to potential cyberbullying-related problems before tragedy strikes.

characteristics of the bark

Bark has a range of features designed to help parents and guardians monitor their children’s digital activity and protect them from online threats. Some of the most notable features include:

• Monitoring of multiple digital platforms: BARC monitors a wide range of digital platforms including social media, text messaging and email. This aspect means that parents and guardians can monitor their child’s activity across multiple platforms without having to log into each platform separately.
• Customizable Alerts: Parents and guardians can customize the types of alerts they receive from Bark based on the age of their child and the type of content they wish to monitor. For example, they can set up alerts for cyberbullying, sexting, or violent threats.
• Intelligent Analysis: BARC uses advanced artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze the content of digital messages and identify potential issues. The software can recognize patterns and spot potentially dangerous situations before they escalate.
• Support for multiple devices: Bark can be installed on multiple devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops, making it easy to monitor a child’s digital activity across devices.
• easy to use: Bark is easy to set up and use, with a simple interface that allows parents and guardians to view their child’s digital activity and receive alerts.

benefits of bark

BARC offers several benefits for parents and guardians concerned about the online safety of their children.

First and foremost, BARC facilitates early detection of potential issues. Bark can identify potential issues before they become a serious problem, allowing parents and guardians to intervene early and prevent damage.

Second, Bark provides peace of mind to parents who want to keep an eye on their children inside and outside the home. This comfort is manifested in the knowledge that parents, caregivers or guardians are taking steps to protect their children from online dangers.

In addition, Bark’s solution provides customizable alerts that allow parents and guardians to personalize the types of alerts they receive, to focus on specific types of content that are relevant to them. Are. This ability is important because different children have different maturity levels, and it allows parents to personalize the kind of content children have access to. The result is an opportunity to build more adequate trust between parent and child.

Since children often have access to multiple connected devices, Bark can be installed on multiple products, so parents and guardians can monitor their child’s activity across all of their devices. It’s also helpful that Bark is easy to set up and use, with a simple interface that allows parents and guardians to monitor their child’s digital activity and receive alerts. In other words, even technology-challenged parents can use Bark without a steep learning curve.

Partnering with Calyx

Last year, Calyx announced a strategic partnership with BARC. Calyx is one of the leading global providers of cloud and software platforms, systems and services used by broadband service providers (BSPs) to deliver unified access networks and the smart home of tomorrow.

The BARC partnership is telling because it underscores Calix’s mutual concern about cyberbullying, as a specific form of harassment faced by teens and tweens. Calyx has cleverly added BARC to its Calyx Revenue EDGE suite of premium system offerings in a growing suite of offerings that can be offered to BSP broadband customers.

Through this partnership, Calyx and BARC allow even the smallest BSPs, who often do not have the resources to implement capabilities like BARC, to enhance their value proposition to the communities in which they operate. Are. The result is that BSP is empowered to help. Families keep children safe at home, school and virtually anywhere in the world.

In a recent SmartTechCheck podcast, I had the opportunity to speak with Bark’s Global CMO, Titania Jordan, and Megan Powell, Director of Product Marketing at Calyx, where we discussed the company’s partnerships and commitment to combating cyberbullying.

closing thoughts

Cyberbullying is a serious issue that can have significant consequences for children and adolescents. Fortunately, software tools like Bark are now available to help parents and guardians proactively and assertively deal with this issue.

The rise of the smartphone and its popularity among children has created unprecedented challenges for parents. BARC reports that its solutions have already covered 6.5 million children, detected 1.1 million serious self-harm situations and 3 million serious bullying situations.

Calix has a long and impressive history with BSP in ensuring that children’s online presence is protected. In fact, Calyx was one of the first companies to offer parental controls to BSPs through its ExperienceIQ offering in 2019.

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The business implications of the Calyx/BARC/BSP dynamic also deserve mention. Calyx’s DNA is characterized by its ability to allow BSPs to manage, deploy, market and operate these types of premium services in a resource-optimized manner. Bark Elements enhances Calyx’s value proposition with BSP as it accelerates time-to-market with fully integrated turnkey solutions.

Cyberbullying may be a 21st century problem that may never go away completely. Nevertheless, its partnership with Bark and Calyx is a decisive step in the right direction that could help dramatically reduce this problem.

Sadly, families face many digital threats that put their children at risk on a 24/7 basis. By combining forces, Calix and Bark have raised the bar — and expectation — on what technology companies responsible for protecting the lives of our children can and should do.