Who is cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else.

It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior. With the prevalence of social media and digital forums, comments, photos, posts, and content shared by individuals can often be viewed by strangers as well as acquaintances.

Sometimes the police can track down an anonymous online bully, so it's often worthwhile to report it. Most parents are so concerned about protecting their kids that sometimes they focus on taking major steps to stop the bullying. If you're being bullied and worry about losing your phone or computer privileges, explain your fears to your parents. Let them know how important it is to stay connected, and work with them to figure out a solution that doesn't leave you feeling punished as well as picked on.

You may have to do some negotiating on safe phone or computer use — the most important thing is to first get the bullying under control. You also can talk to your school counselor or a trusted teacher or family member. If the bullying feels like it's really getting you down like if it's affecting your sleep or concentration , therapy can help. If you're not ready for that, you can still benefit from the support of a trusted adult.

Walk away. What you've heard about walking away from a real-life bully works in the virtual world too. Ignoring bullies is the best way to take away their power, but it isn't always easy to do — in the real world or online. If you see something upsetting, try to step away from the computer or turn off your phone for a while. Don't respond, and never forward the message to someone else. Find something to distract yourself from what's going on. Do something you love that doesn't give you time to think about what's happening, like playing the guitar, going for a run, or losing yourself in a book or movie.

You can also just chat with a parent or sibling or play with a pet. Taking a break like this allows you to keep things in perspective and focus on the good things in your life. It also gives you time to figure out how you want to handle things. Resist the urge to retaliate or respond. Walking away or taking a break when you're faced with online bullying gives you some space so you won't be tempted to fire back a response or engage with the bully or bullies. Even though it occurs online instead of in person, cyberbullying needs to be taken as seriously as traditional bullying.

As technology has developed over the past 20 years, cyberbullying has become an increasingly larger issue. The immense popularity of smartphones, instant messaging apps, and the rise of social media have opened up an ever-growing number of ways for cyberbullies to hurt their targets. Various forms of cyberbullying often overlap, and the bully may choose to employ or combine multiple tactics to hurt their target. For example, they may share private information about someone after gaining access to their account.

In addition, all these different kinds of cyberbullying may take place on different devices, social media websites, forums, text messages, or mobile apps. Someone may not even realize they are bullying someone, or even that they are being bullied. Much like offline harassment, online harassment involves sending abusive or offensive messages to an individual or group.

Harassment takes great effort on the part of the bully to hurt the victim. Further, it is intentional, repeated, and constant. The victim will often have no reprieve from the bully. Cyberstalking is a form of harassment. These messages are often no longer just offensive or rude, but more threatening in nature.

Cyberstalking can quickly lead to in-person harassment or stalking. Exclusion is the act of deliberately ostracizing the victim. This may involve leaving them out from social media groups, chat rooms, messages, events, or activities. It may mean purposefully having conversations on social media platforms or apps that the victim does not have access to, or that they see but are unable to join.

The group may then go on to say cruel or rude things about the excluded person behind their back. Outing is when the bully publicly shares private messages, pictures, or other information about the victim on the internet.

The information may be trivial or more private and serious, but either way, it is a form of outing. Masquerading occurs when the bully, or possibly even bullies, assumes another identity to anonymously harass the victim.

Often, the bully will know the victim well if they feel the need to hide their identity. The bully may harass or cyberstalk the victim. This is typically done in an attempt to amuse themselves or humiliate the victim. Bullying has become such a pervasive issue in recent years that there are initiatives and laws at multiple levels of government to prevent it. As of May , there are no federal laws that specifically address bullying. Cyberstalking is a notable exception to this rule.

Though there are no federal laws regarding cyberstalking specifically, it is a criminal action under other anti-stalking and harassment laws. Bullying may overlap with discrimination, harassment, or hate crimes if it is based on race, national origin, color, sex, age, disability, or religion.

If that overlap occurs, federally funded schools at all levels must address and resolve the harassment. The U. It is a free, confidential service that offers everything from counseling to technical assistance. If harassment persists, victims should consider filing a formal complaint with both the U. Department of Education and the U. Department of Justice.

All 50 states have anti-bullying laws in place. Most states also have laws meant to prevent cyberbullying. Familiarize yourself with the laws and policies in your state. There may also be local laws at the regional, county, or city level. If nothing else, most school districts or school codes of conduct contain anti-bullying language or rules.

Be sure to research the various policies and laws at the local level in your area. As discussed above, one of the most concerning aspects of what cyberbullying is includes how difficult it can be to recognize. Still, teachers should always be on the lookout for signs that a student is either being a bully or being bullied.

Some of the warning signs of cyberbullying may overlap with those of traditional bullying. One of these symptoms alone may not be immediate cause for concern, but if you begin to notice your teen continually exhibiting many of these behaviors, it may be time to address your concerns with them.

Many teenagers hide the fact that they are being bullied, online or in person, from their parents, teachers, and other adults in their life.

Do not take it personally if your teen does not tell you about being bullied. It is an intense, confusing experience that everyone responds to differently, and there are many reasons they may choose not to talk about it with anyone.

They may feel embarrassed or ashamed, worry that their online privileges will be taken away, or simply not know what cyberbullying is. They may fear that the bully will retaliate or the abuse will intensify if they speak up, or they may just want to figure out how to handle this situation on their own. Also be on the lookout for warning signs that your teen might be bullying their peers. It may be unexpected or shocking, but cyberbullying is becoming more common.

It is incredibly important to look for warning signs that your teenager may be a bully. Not only are they deliberately trying to hurt others, but it may also be their way of seeking attention or help. Some of the signs to look for include the following:.

Again, one of these warning signs may not be a definite indicator that your teenager is cyberbullying others. The reasons why one teen chooses to bully another are complex and varied. Why do people cyberbully? Home life — The perpetrator may be having a difficult home life and misplace their anger and frustration onto someone else. Power — Someone may choose to cyberbully in order to feel powerful and have the ability to control a situation.

Jealously — Jealously is one of the most common reasons for cyberbullying, especially for teenagers and young people. Growing up as teenager can be a difficult time as young people are discovering themselves, and they may feel insecure about their appearance.

Because they feel insecure, they might compare themselves to their peers which can result in envy based cyberbullying and abuse. Cyberbullying and video games — Online gaming has grown rapidly over the last few years. This boom has also seen a rise in online players reporting toxicity and abuse when gaming online. Online gamers have the ability to talk to other users through the use of a microphone to chat — this can be used to encourage teamwork, build friendships and improve the overall gaming experience in general.

Talk to someone — When going through cyberbullying, it is important that you build up a network of support from friends, family and people you can trust. These people will be able to help and support you. Talking to people in times of crisis can not only add a voice of reason or rational thought, it can also help you feel better for being able to share your thoughts and feelings without judgement.

If you are a young person or teenager who has fallen victim to cyberbullying, you might want to consider talking to a parent or teacher that you feel you can trust. If the cyberbullying is occurring in school or it is involving people who attend your school, a teacher should be able to help you resolve the issue effectively. If you choose to not retaliate, they will eventually become bored and move on.