Article by CWEP
At first let’s remind ourselves, what exactly is cyberbullying?
It is the sending, sharing, and commenting negative and hurtful content through social media/text/online forums/chat rooms/email, against individuals.
Usually cyberbullying targets individuals who have been bullied for a long time and the perpetrators are often people who know the victims from real life.
What negative effects can cyberbullying have?
There are many negative consequences of such actions. Some of them are:
- Feelings of nervousness, depression
- Social problems, relationship breakdown, social withdrawal
- Stomach pains, headaches
- In severe cases, self-harm or suicide
As we can see, this is a very tough issue. Cyberbullying has terrible consequences that should be talked about more often, to make people aware of how hurtful their actions can be.
Now, let’s find out how to respond to cyberbullying?
- Don’t respond to malicious comments, getting into an argument with the abuser won’t make any change in him, but it will only amuse him.
- Take screenshots. Gather evidence of what happened.
- Tell it to someone you trust. You don’t have to deal with it alone, ask a family member or friend for help.
- Report cyberbullying. You can report it on the platform where the post appears (add screenshots to the report), at school (if the bully attends the same school as you), or to the police.
Often there are signs that a person is dealing with cyberbullying, such as limiting the use of social media, avoiding social situations, depression, hiding a phone or turning off the computers when people come into the room.
Remember
Don’t leave things hoping that everything will resolve itself. By reporting the abuser, you are also helping his future victims.
To raise awareness about cyberbullying, youth workers should educate students about human rights and the consequences of such actions. There are many online campaigns against it that can help with educating students. You can also make your own campaign, each of us can take action!