Cyberbullying is using the internet, emails, texting, social media, or other technologies to harass, threaten, or humiliate someone. Cyberbullying occurs 24/7 on smartphones, tablets, and computers, unlike conventional bullying in schools, streets, and workplaces. Cyberbullies attack without face-to-face contact and with many witnesses. It requires neither physical nor numerical strength.
By resorting to violence or “sexting,” boys bully. When it comes to cyberbullying, girls are more prone to leak secrets, spread falsehoods, and ban you from your social media accounts, emails, and friend lists. Due to the ease of cyberbullying, some children and teenagers may even take it upon themselves to be the bullies.
Nowadays, cyberbullying may be done in a variety of inventive ways by kids and teenagers enabled by technology. By stealing your email or online identity, they may humiliate and threaten you via email, text message, social media, or instant messaging. To harass you online, cyberbullies set up fake personas and websites.
Bullying may occur online at any time and in any location. Your home and family activities on a weekend are two possible locations and times for this to occur. Dodging the insults and shamings may seem to be an insurmountable task.
You may not know who is harassing you online since cyberbullying is often anonymous. You should be even more afraid since bullies use the internet because they believe it makes them harder to be found.
How To Handle Cyberbullying
- Keep abusive text messages or website screenshots and report them to a trusted adult such a family member, teacher, or school counselor. Cyberbullies can become worse if you don’t report them.
- Unfriend, unfollow, and close their social media accounts. Notify their ISP, social media, and other targeting websites. Your state may prosecute the cyberbully for violating the website’s terms of service.
- Cyberbullying is aimed to make the target upset or confused so they react emotionally. Remember that cyberbullies demand responses. Avoid this by not satisfying them. If someone is cruel to you online, tags you in a photo you don’t like, or is generally unpleasant, put down your phone for an hour. Before responding, take emotional stock.
- When cyberbullied, it might seem like the bully is in the room shouting and demanding attention.That’s unnecessary. You may limit your social media usage to a few hours a day. You may relax and take a break from the internet since bullying is less common.