If you have children using screens, you either have encountered or will encounter cyberbullying. By definition, cyberbullying is “the act of harassing someone online by sending or posting mean messages, usually anonymously.” In today’s world, cyberbullying is a serious issue. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, cyberbullying is steadily increasing and impacting a number of middle and high school students each year.
With all that bullying going on, one would think that the victims would alert someone to their abuse. However, according to nobully.org, “only 1 in 10 victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of their abuse” and they are “two to nine times more likely to consider committing suicide.”
Maybe they’re too scared to tell someone. Maybe they don’t want to get hurt any more than they already are. Maybe they somehow think they deserve to be bullied. Maybe they just don’t know how or who to go to?
Whatever the reason, the fact still stands: people aren’t reporting cyberbullying. Here are 5 tips to share with your children on how to stop cyberbullying.
5 WAYS TO STOP CYBERBULLYING
1. Tell Them to Stop
Writing a clear message to the bully telling them not to contact you again probably won’t prevent them from attempting to bully you further, but it does help when you present evidence to the authorities.
2. Don't Respond to the Bully
Cyberbullies, and bullies in general, thrive off of fear and negative responses to their abuse. By not responding, you may not completely end the bullying, but there is the chance that they will get bored with you and your lack of response.
3. Make Copies of All Contact with the Bully
You cannot make a case to the authorities about a bully if you have no physical evidence to support your claim. Take screenshots, copy the messages to a document, print them out, etc. It’s always best to have hard copies anyway, in case something happens to your computer/phone.
4. Block the Bully
Remove their contact information from your phone/computer/social media/etc. They can’t bother or abuse you if they can’t reach you.
5. Report the Bully to the Authorities
Most young people don’t tell their parents about bullying online or offline. So, if your child’s losing sleep or doesn’t want to go to school or seems agitated when on their computer or phone, ask why as calmly and open-heartedly as possible. Feel free to ask if it has anything to do with mean behavior or social issues. However, even if it does, don’t assume it’s bullying. You won’t know until you get the full story, starting with your child’s perspective.
Once you know they are being cyberbullied, tell your school administration, the online service providers, mentor, law enforcement, etc. Whom you contact is all determined on where the bullying is taking place. If the cyberbully has threatened you, your family, or anyone else with physical harm you need to contact the police immediately, or have your parents file a report if you are a minor.
Cyberbullying may never stop, but that doesn’t mean that you or your loved ones have to just sit there and take the abuse. Speak up, fight for yourself, and make a difference, one bully at a time.
IMPORTANT LINKS
The following are some links to show you how and who to report your abuse to:
