Cyberbullying

Can you put this on the s7 things you should do if you are being cyberbullied

#1 Don’t reply

The bully is often trying to provoke a reaction from you so by replying you are giving them what they want. Often the best response is no response.

#2 Keep the messages

Unlike traditional schoolyard bullying everything posted online leaves a digital footprint. Save anything that you think is evidence of you being bullied and if the problem gets worse you have a record when it comes time to reporting the bully.

#3 Block the sender

A good first step is to block the sender so they cannot send you any more messages. On Facebook click the lock symbol on the top right corner and you will see an option to “stop someone from bothering me”. All the Irish mobile network providers offer a free service where you can block messages, calls or picture messages from any user. Check out your carrier’s website to see how to do this.

#4 Protect your passwords

A common tactic by bullies is to impersonate their victims by accessing their account information. Always make sure that you protect your passwords by not sharing them and always log out of Facebook when accessing it on someone else’s computer. It’s also a good idea to password protect your mobile phone.

#5 Tell someone

If you feel you are being bullied it’s really important to talk to someone you trust. This could be a friend, parent or teacher. Most schools now have an anti-bullying policy so they will have tried and trusted ways of dealing with incidents of cyberbullying confidentially.

#6 and if you see someone being cyberbullied, what should you do?

At the very least you should never share or pass on a mean message as this just gives the bully more attention and encouragement. It might be an idea to talk to the victim as a kind word of support can often make things easier. Together you can decide whether you should report the bullying.

#7 Don’t ever send a picture you wouldn’t send to your granny

Snapchat allows users to send “self destructing” photos to each other which of course can be made more permanent using a quick screengrab. This combined with an increase in “sexting”, the sending of sexually explicit images by phone or online, has meant that teenagers are sending more and more picture messages to each other. Needless to say sharing any pictures of yourself or anyone else in a compromising situation is not a good idea.

If you are currently being cyberbullied check out this page which has links to childline and more great advice on how to deal with the problem.

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