ROdown Blog
Featured fact sheet : Cyberbullying
I don't think anyone would argue that bullying can be pretty awful and can impact people in a really serious way.
A lot of us have been through it, and a lot of us, to our embarrassment, have been perpertrators of bullying at some stage of our lives as well.
I for one have been at both ends - admittedly when I was a lot younger (at pre-school I wouldn't let someone into the doll's corner because they weren't wearing pink), but it's still not something I'm proud of to this day, even though I was only three years old.
What it is + some examples
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying which is carried out through an internet service such as email, chat room, discussion group, online social networking, instant messaging or web pages. It can also include bullying through mobile phone technologies such as SMS.
Examples of cyberbullying behaviour are:
- teasing and being made fun of
- spreading of rumours online
- sending unwanted messages
- defamation.
Bullying + cyberbullying can both be really tough to deal with, but cyberbullying has some unique challenges
Cyberbullying can be particularly tough because the bully can act anonymously if they want, and whole groups of people can get involved. Sometimes people find it easier to say mean things when they don't have to do it to your face as well.
It's also possible that the bullying might be publicly visible before the person being bullied has a chance to remove the evidence or respond to the bullying.
Stay safer online + dealing with cyberbullying
Recently on Safer Internet Day we shared a whole range of tips on the blog about how to stay safe online in general.
Some of the tips for staying safe online cross over with tips to get help if you are being cyberbullied - check out the cyberbullying fact sheet for more info.
If you are being cyberbullied it is possible that you're feeling pretty powerless and isolated.
But, there are options and you can do things to stop the problem.
- Keep a record (including time and date) - This may help you (or the police) to find out who is sending the messages.
- Tell someone - Talk to someone you trust, a parent, friend, school counsellor or teacher.
- Contact your phone or internet service provider and report what is happening - They can help you block messages or calls from certain senders.
- If messages are threatening or serious get in touch with the police. If the cyberbullying is threatening, it's illegal. You don't need to put up with that!
- Don't reply to bullying messages - It'll only get worse if you do. By replying the bully gets what he or she wants. Often if you don't reply the bully will leave you alone.
- Change your contact details - Get a new user name for the internet, a new e-mail account, a new mobile phone number and only give them out to your closest friends.
- Keep your username and passwords secret - Keep your personal information private so it doesn't fall into the hands of someone who'll misuse it.
Let us know what you think
Have you experienced cyberbullying, or do you know someone who has? How were you able to respond to the situation?
Do you have any tips for other people about how to prevent or respond to cyberbullying?
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11 Comments
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Roisin - RO Crew
about 2 years ago
Reply ReportHey gcMike,
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your tips on how to stop cyberbullies. I'm sorry to hear your girlfriend was bulied and its awesome these tips worked for her :)
All the Best
Roisin - RO Crew
Roisin - RO Crew
about 2 years ago
Reply ReportHi XFear
I undersatnd it can be hard to stand up to bullies especially when there is more than one person involved. That said there is never any excuse for bullying and it is never ok.
If you are being bullied and are unsure of the best way to deal with it I suggest you start by having a look at some of our fact sheets on bullying.
This one explains what bullying is, what motivates bullys and what you can do to stop them:
http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/bullying-what-it-is
This fact sheets explains how you can get help if you are being bullied:
http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/bullying-what-to-do-if-you-are-being-bullied
Maybe you could take a look at this story written by a young person about her experiences of being bullied and about how she got through:
http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/i-was-bullied
If you feel like talking to someone about what you are going through remember you can always call Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. They are really friendly and you can call anytime 24/7.
All the Best
Roisin - RO Crew
gcMike
about 2 years ago
Reply ReportThere are things that you can do about cyber bullying.
For a fact, any schooling facility has anti-cyberbullying support.
My girlfriend was abused on MSN and FaceBook by a classmate from TAFE (which was using fake accounts), but there are many ways to win the battle.
For instance, if you get an add on MSN and the person harasses you, simply google his/her email address, its amazing what you can find with that.
Alternately you can email them something like "what's your problem".
When you receive a reply, you can view their IP address, furthermore, you can contact the Internet Service Provider and with help of police, the ISP may hand over the name of the person that owns the Internet connection, which was used to send the email from.
XFear
about 2 years ago
Reply Reportsometime there is just nothing you could do when someone is bullying you. Because the ones bullying you would've spread all the rumours around the school, and it is very hard to get someone to back you up. Sometime even the teachers may turn back on you. This is especially common when the student is a bad kid at acedemic.
Everyone has prejudice, and no one is able to completely forget their prejudices. Sometime, you will just have to cope with it. Maybe, you can find out their interests, and have a common interest with them. This way, at least, you can communicate with them on some topics.
Roisin - RO Crew
about 2 years ago
Reply ReportHi Liam 624,
I am sorry to hear that you are being bullied. It is not ok and must be really tough for you.
I suggest that you have a look at some of our other fact sheets on bullying. They have helpfull tips on how to stop bullies and where to get help. You can see them at these links:
http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/bullying-what-it-is
http://au.reachout.com/find/articles/bullying-what-to-do-if-you-are-being-bullied
Remember if you would like to talk to someone about how you are feeling the friendly folks at Kids Help Line can be contacted on 1800 55 1800 and Lifeline is aewesome too and can be contacted on 13 11 14.
All the Best
Roisin- RO Crew
Liam624
about 2 years ago
Reply Reportwell at school i am always getting bulled and on the net its the same :(
dont any 1 know how the oreson on ther other end feels?????
its just that some times i take it out on friends and famley but i hav no idia what to do :(
Bass90
about 2 years ago
Reply ReportDon't 'add' anyone onto your MSN or chat if you don't know them.
If people start teasing, harassing or making you feel uncomfortable on a format such as MSN, the best solution (in my experience) has been to block 'em, delete 'em and forget about 'em! :-) I once had 12 people on my MSN harassing me all at once, so I just blocked/deleted them one by one. Simple as that. I don't let bullying bother me, especially cowardly cyberbullying.
anna
about 2 years ago
Reply Reportthat sounds like a good system :)
Do other people have systems set up at their schools for reporting bullying?
:)
Chey
about 2 years ago
Reply ReportHey Anna,
All good,If My experience and tips can help another person Im all for it.
My school never had a designated person(Ive been to many schools though),But I guess for me It was just telling a trusted Teacher or Getting my parents to,In Yr 9 we had the best system which was you could get these things call pink slips which you filled in anoymously or you could put your name on it and you wrote the issue out on them n put them in one of the boxes,we also had slips against teachers aswell.It was good cause you could remain unknown.
anna
about 2 years ago
Reply Reportthanks for sharing those great tips Chey!
Sorry to hear you've had that experience, but I'm really glad you were able to get help.
It sounds like you've taken a whole lot of proactive steps to stop it happening in the first place, and that you've got strategies to deal with cyberbullying if it occurs again as well.
Was there a designated person at your school, and how did that work? Obviously things will vary from school to school, but other people might be interested to hear how a teacher might be able to help :)
Thanks again for sharing :)
A
Chey
about 2 years ago
Reply ReportAs said in the open statement ALOT of us have been cybered bullied n as sad as it is to admit we have or may have cyber bullied back wether we know it or not.
Have you experienced cyberbullying, or do you know someone who has? How were you able to respond to the situation?
Many Many Many times I have experienced through my school years and even now im not in school,sometimes i have known the people other times I have not.Beign cyber bullied does sometimes leave me feeling powerless or even believing the people which I know is bad for myself esteem,Awhile back though I watched a tv doc on this and was happy to see that the steps I did take where ones which should be taken,i also learnt some tips.Sometimes I handle the situation well but just logging ofline and doing the tips bellow,others times I related which I do not suggest doing,it gets you know where.
Do you have any tips for other people about how to prevent or respond to cyberbullying?
Sometimes its hard to actually prevent it from happening but there are many ways to protect yourself and respond,My suggestion which I wish I had done from the start is save all messages,threats,convos etc,that way if you need proof of it happening and what was said you have it there,another thing is Block and Delete (i know sometimes its hard cause they will make new addys etc but dnt add anyone you dont know),also let someone you trust know,theres no use feeling crappy or threatened and worrying,it can result in many sleepless nights etc,another thing is dont talk back to them or let them see they are bothering you cause that is what they want,if you get angry or upset n show them that they will use it to keep going n the worse it will get.If the bullies are from school and bullying you there do let a staff memba know.You dont have to go through it all alone,and you dont need to feel ashamed by asking for help either cause you have done know wrong.
Great fact sheet and I could keep on going but I dont want to write a book lol