The Bark and Calix team to fight cyberbullying

The issue of cyberbullying has garnered considerable attention in recent years due to the widespread use of the internet and social media platforms in particular.

Cyberbullying is classically defined as the use of electronic communication to intimidate, harass or intimidate another person. It can have serious consequences on the mental health and well-being of the victim, and is sometimes even fatal.

Fortunately, software tools are now available to help fight cyberbullying, and one of the most popular is Bark.

What is bark?

Bark is a software tool that uses advanced artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor and analyze the digital activity of children and teenagers. It is designed to help parents and guardians protect their children from online predators and cyberbullying. Once installed, the app can be used to manage and monitor their children’s 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 serious issues.

How does the bark work?

Bark 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 behavior.

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

ADVERTISEMENT

Given the massive popularity of smartphones and tablets, the cold turkey approach of banning children from using digital devices is generally unsuccessful. Resentment is often a consequence, not to mention that many children will use their ingenuity to get their hands on a digital device.

The genius of Bark’s approach is that it allows children to continue using their digital devices, especially smartphones. Parental smartphone monitoring encourages kids to act responsibly, build trust, and alert parents to potential issues with cyberbullying before tragedy strikes.

Characteristics of the bark

Bark offers many features designed to help parents and guardians monitor their children’s digital activity and protect them from online dangers. Some of the most notable features include:

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

Bark Benefits

Bark offers several benefits for parents and guardians concerned about their children’s online safety.

Above all, Bark makes it easy to spot potential problems early. Bark can identify potential problems before they become serious, allowing parents and guardians to intervene early and prevent damage.

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

Additionally, Bark’s solution provides customizable alerts that allow parents and guardians to customize the types of alerts they receive, so they can focus on specific types of content relevant to them. This ability is crucial because children have different levels of maturity and it allows parents to customize the type of content children have access to. The consequence is the possibility of establishing a more substantial degree of trust between parent and child.

Since children often have access to multiple connected devices, Bark can be installed on many products, so parents and guardians can monitor their child’s activity across all of their devices. It also helps 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 parents who struggle with technology can use Bark without a steep learning curve.

Partnership with Calix

Last year, Calix announced a strategic partnership with Bark. Calix is ​​a leading global provider of cloud and software platforms, systems and services that broadband service providers (BSPs) use to deliver a unified access network and the smart home of tomorrow.

The Bark partnership is telling because it underscores Calix’s mutual concern with cyberbullying, as it is the typical form of bullying faced by teens and tweens. Calix has smartly added Bark to its growing system of premium system offerings in its Calix Revenue EDGE suites that BSPs can offer broadband subscribers.

Through this partnership, Calix and Bark enable even smaller BSPs, which often lack the resources to implement capabilities like Bark on their own, to expand their value proposition to the communities in which they operate. . The result is that BSPs are empowered to help families protect children at home, at school, and virtually anywhere in the world.

In a recent SmartTechCheck podcast, I had the opportunity to speak with Titania Jordan, Global CMO of Bark, and Megan Powell, Product Marketing Director of Calix, where we discussed partnership and company engagement. to combat cyberbullying.

Final Thoughts

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

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

Calix has a long and impressive history with BSPs to ensure children’s online presence is safer. In fact, Calix was one of the first companies to provide parental controls to BSPs in 2019 through its ExperienceIQ offering.

ADVERTISEMENT

The business implications of the Calix/Bark/BSP dynamic are also worth mentioning. Calix’s DNA is characterized by its ability to enable BSPs to manage, deploy, market and operate these types of premium services in a resource-efficient way. The Bark element amplifies Calix’s value proposition with BSPs as it accelerates time to market with fully integrated turnkey solutions.

Cyberbullying may be a 21st century problem that may never completely go away. Still, Bark and his partnership with Calix is ​​a big step in the right direction that can help alleviate this problem considerably.

Unfortunately, families face many digital dangers that threaten their children 24/7. By combining forces, Calix and Bark have raised the bar — and expectations — on what responsible tech companies can and should do to protect the lives of our children.