Mum's the Word: Children remind us, in a world where we can be anything, be kind

At this point, if we are talking about a collective consciousness and how to move forward, lets go back to basics and talk about what we teach our children and what we were taught ourselves, writes Alison Curtis.

I feel, despite being on social media a lot and constantly reading different news sources online and in print, I still live in a bit of a bubble.

This is because the reality of the horrific treatment ofCaroline Flack had totally escaped me. She only came to my attention fully when she tragically died last week.

I don’t read the papers who had continually written about her over the past number years. I also never watched the shows she fronted.

But as is often the case when someone so young dies in horrible circumstances we pay attention and want to know more.

For better or worse, this is what happened when Ms Flack died on February 15.

I saw endless emotional tributes being paid to her by hundreds of people I follow online. Some who knew her directly and most fans of hers. I went on to read more about her. To learn all about her achievements and piece together a bit more about what she was like as a person.

She was extremely well-liked and very highly thought of. She was someone who I understand was very grounded despite living her whole life in the spotlight. She was a woman who gave so much to everyone around her and brought a lot of joy and love to her family and friends.

She was also relentlessly targeted in ruthless, damaging, and cruel ways both by the UK press and online. To the point where perhaps it all got too much for her. She is no longer with us. Immediately as the news broke talk spread about how we had gone too far as a society to allow online activity take a person down and erode them to such an extent they take their own lives.

The talk was all about our collective responsibility and the role of the giants who operate Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. How do you monitor the Wild West of the web, should we, or is that not the role of freedom of speech?

It has become a huge ethical debate, as it should be. But at the end of all our talk is the reality that someone’s life was cut short as a result of not being able to live under the strain of other people’s opinions of her. and their feeling they had a God given right to express them.

At this point, if we are talking about a collective consciousness and how to move forward, lets go back to basics and talk about what we teach our children and what we were taught ourselves. We teach them to be kind. We teach them to not be mean to one another or say mean things. We encourage them to always treat people well and to treat others as they want to be treated themselves.

So why when some of us grow up do we forget all of this and think it is perfectly normal or acceptable to post utterly disgusting and hurtful comments about someone else online. We never say to our kids, it is totally okay as long as you do it anonymously!

When we get older life ultimately gets more stressful. As adults we snap at times with our partners, friends, colleagues, and our children. We have all been guilty of saying nasty things and hopefully afterwards feel badly about it and find another way to resolve our feelings. Ways other than taking someone down on social media sites so publicly.

I have been guilty of saying not so nice things about a person in front of my daughter many times. But what always happens is I am reminded by her that I am not being nice and I am not being kind. She is absolutely right. Be kind, it really is that simple.

If my eight-year- old can do it day in and day out, and I hope she continues to be this way for the rest of her life, then surely as adults we all can do the same.

I feel, despite being on social media a lot and constantly reading different news sources online and in print, I still live in a bit of a bubble.