The term refers to bullying that goes on in an online forum, such as texting, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, or any other place where people post comments and engage in conversations, such as while playing online games. The bullying is very similar to any other form of bullying..... It includes:
- Making fun of someone for any reason whatsoever
- For example, someone with a disability or someone who looks 'different'
- It might be someone who has a particular body shape, like tall, short, thin, overweight
- People can be picked on because they are smart or slow, intelligence-wise
- People who speak differently can be a target
- Someone's sexual orientation
- Someone from another country
- A person's religion
- A 'new' student
- Bullies will even pick on someone for their hair color or clothes or backpack, or for no particular reason. If the victim is hurt or scared, the bullies continue.
- If someone is perceived as a 'teacher's pet' he or she might be picked on
- When bullies work as a group, they are particularly intimidating and they know it
- Threatening people with harm
- Saying things like "I wish you would just die" or "you are worthless" or "you are so stupid" via text, Facebook post, Twitter post, or on any other social media site or where virtually anyone can read it: this shares the statement to potentially thousands of people
With cyberbullying, bullies can harass their victims anonymously...they can make up many different screen names, or in some cases post as 'guest' or 'anon'. This way, they can post multiple times and make it look like it was several different people when in fact it was one. This makes the bullies particularly bold and at the same time cowardly: they feel confident nobody will find out who's doing it, so they keep it up for long periods of time and are very aggressive with their posts.
These people have also been known to post while posing as other people, that is, using someone else's online or 'screen' name, without that person's knowledge.The victim then thinks a friend (and possibly a true longtime friend) is doing it, while the actual bully is unknown and it is not, in fact, the friend. People will also set up multiple accounts using made-up names and information.
The "bully" may also be a group of bullies working together, sharing what they have posted or texted-and sharing the posts by forwarding texts, re-tweeting, sharing posts, for example, and thinking it's funny, and that they are getting away with it.
Cyberbullying happens 24/7, from anywhere the bullies have access to the internet; usually, their phones. Comments 'go viral' the instant the person taps or clicks, and can (in theory) be seen by millions of people, not only those who know you. Once any of the posts have been made, it is sometimes impossible to delete them. Bullies will also post pictures claiming it's the victim, when it's some random picture they found online, or 'doctor' pictures to make the victim look bad.
What should you do if cyberbullying is happening to you?
- First, if you are a young person, tell someone such as a parent or teacher, some adult who might be able to help make it stop: don't wait until it escalates. Someone should know it's happening.
- Take screen shots of what is posted and print them, keep the printouts in a place where you can find them easily
- If the bullying is happening via text messages, do not delete those texts. Keep them as proof.
- Remember, if there is something about you or your life that you don't want everyone to know, then don't post it. Even people who mean you no harm may share these things with others who do.
- Don't ever tell anyone your passwords, not even your friends. It could wind up in the wrong hands accidentally. If you feel bullied, change your passwords often. Make it harder for them to get into your accounts. Use different passwords for each account.
- Don't ever agree to meet someone in person if you have only ever chatted with him or her online. If you decide to do it anyway, take at least one friend with you.
- Turn off your technology sometimes. Talk to people. Go outside. Read something.
- If it's happening on Facebook, report it, and block anyone from your account other than people you completely trust. If you have any doubts about someone, or don't know the person well, he or she is not allowed to see anything you post, at least for a while until you figure out who is doing the bullying. You can also put people on a Restricted list so they see nothing you post. If you choose to, you can take them off your Restricted list later on. They can go on and off any list you create, and will not be notified.
- Remember that only 'unfriending' on Facebook still allows the person to send you a message request via Messenger. You want that to stop, so block.
- In fact, don't obsess about blocking people that bother you. You're standing up for yourself, and that's what you need to do.
- At Twitter, block (don't only 'unfollow') people who are or who may well be doing this to you.
- At Instagram or Snapchat, at least silence but preferable unfollow anyone except your most completely trusted friends. Remember, if you have only 'met' them online, you don't really know people.
- See if you can figure out who is doing it.
- Contact the venue where it's happening: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, for example, all have policies against cyberbullying and will want to know when someone is being abusive.
- As much as you really, really, want to, do not respond to the posts/don't retaliate. It won't help.
- Close your social media account(s) and open a new one with a different name, or alternately, just close your account and make yourself unavailable for online assault. If anyone asks, just tell them "I'm not on Twitter anymore." No need to explain.
- Keep track of when and how often it's happening, and the screen names of those doing it: is it always the same people, or is it a new crop all the time?
- It is likely that the participants are talking amongst themselves and planning their next assault together.
- If you are afraid for your safety, get in touch with law enforcement
Twitter's safety advice and how to report:
https://support.twitter.com/articles/15794#
Being wise about sharing your personal information online.
http://www.askthejudge.info/the-dangers-of-over-sharing-on-social-media/
It mentions geo-tagging: see Triogenius' post "A Geo What?" April 16, 2012-people can find out where your pictures were taken, and thereby where you live and hang out.
If anyone thinks it's not a big deal, that is, if you are doing some of these things, consider the consequences to the person being bullied:
- People may turn to alcohol or drug use to escape being unhappy
- They may skip school, or refuse to attend school
- Grades may drop when they were good before
- Changing schools may not be the answer to the problem
- The person's self-esteem drops
- Health problems such as weight loss, weight gain, not being able to sleep, headaches, etc. may occur in people who were healthy before the bullying started
- Victims of bullying sometimes think about suicide
- Feeling lonely, excluded, and powerless
Laws that pertain to punishment for bullying, including cyberbullying, fall under 'Freedom of Speech;' that law does not include freedom to express yourself in such a way as to harass or harm others in any way. Bullying and stalking are also very similar, and both are punishable by law.
This is the statute in MN concerning stalking:
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/?id=160&year=2014&type=0
If you are tempted to make fun of someone, please think before you do....if you have ever had someone put you down, you know what that feels like. Words definitely do hurt.
If you are tempted to make fun of someone, please think before you do....if you have ever had someone put you down, you know what that feels like. Words definitely do hurt.
A video about cyberbullying:
Other helpful sites:
This has a number of really interesting "related posts" towards the bottom of the article:
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