Cyberbullying
A Crime With Many Victims
What Is CyberBullying?
Cyber bullying is when you use electronic devices and social media to mentally harm someone.
Examples Of Cyberbullying:
Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.
Three differences between cyberbullying and bullying
- Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children
- Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology.
- Cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and reach a kid even when he or she is alone.
Effects Of Cyberbullying
- Use alcohol and drugs
- Skip school
- Experience in-person bullying
- Be unwilling to attend school
- Receive poor grades
- Have lower self-esteem
- Have more health problems
Prevention and Awareness
- Know the sites your kids visit and their online activities. Ask where they’re going, what they’re doing, and who they’re doing it with.
- Tell your kids that as a responsible parent you may review their online communications if you think there is reason for concern. Installing parental control filtering software or monitoring programs are one option for monitoring your child’s online behavior, but do not rely solely on these tools.
- Have a sense of what they do online and in texts. Learn about the sites they like. Try out the devices they use.
- Ask for their passwords, but tell them you’ll only use them in case of emergency.
- Ask to “friend” or “follow” your kids on social media sites or ask another trusted adult to do so.
Establishing Rules
- be clear about what sites they can visit and what they are permitted to do when they’re online.
- Help them be smart about what they post or say
- Encourage kids to think about who they want to see the information and pictures they post online.
Reporting a Cyberbully
- Review their terms and conditions or rights and responsibilities sections. These describe content that is or is not appropriate.
- Visit social media safety centers to learn how to block users and change settings to control who can contact you.
- Report cyberbullying to the social media site so they can take action against users abusing the terms of service.
Report Cyberbullying to Law Enforcement
- Threats of violence
- Child pornography or sending sexually explicit messages or photos
- Taking a photo or video of someone in a place where he or she would expect privacy
Report Cyberbullying to Schools
- Cyberbullying can create a disruptive environment at school and is often related to in-person bullying. The school can use the information to help inform prevention and response strategies.
- In many states, schools are required to address cyberbullying in their anti-bullying policy. Some state laws also cover off-campus behavior that creates a hostile school environment.