Never ever put your safety on-line
Tips on how to be safe online
5 Tips on how YOU can protect yourself from cyber bullying
1. Stop
Stop what you are doing if you encounter anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, fearful or hurt.
2. Block
Cut off all lines of communication with the cyber bullies is one of the best ways to deal with them. The less contact the bullies have with you, the fewer opportunities they have to harm you as they won't know when their victims are online.
Most communication tools and social media platforms offer users a feature that can be used to block specific people from their contact lists.
3. Save
Do not delete the offensive email, instant messages or text messages as they can come in handy in future.
Save all evidence, preferably in both hard and soft copies because they can be used to bring the bullies to justice should there be a need to report them to the authorities.
Doing so will also help the victims gain confidence and control over the situation.
4. Tell
You should not have to suffer alone. It is important that you know you can confide in a trusted adult, be it a parent or teacher.
You need to speak up and express their feelings instead of bottling it up so that you can be helped and supported.
5. Report
If the tips above fail to stop the cyber bullying, you need to report the bullies to the appropriate authorities, including parents and teachers.
3 'Nevers'
Never ever meet in person with someone you met online.
Never give out personal information. You would never keys to your home to a stranger, would you? So never give out your home address, phone number, name of your school, pictures, or the names of your parents.
Using a gender neutral username in chat rooms
Internet privacy? Not anymore.
What you find is what everyone finds.