What is Cyberbullying and How to respond?

Cyberbullying is bullying someone by using an electronic medium such as social media, SMS, messaging app, or email to harass or intimidate a victim. Cyberbullying is more frequent in children, but some high school or even college kids experience it. Easy access to anonymous messaging apps also influences teenagers to bully someone without identifying themselves, and it makes it very difficult for the victim to identify who is doing it.

How to protect yourself from Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying may have begun for many reasons, but as a victim, you may not know why and how it started. It could be from hatred, jealousy, or reasons you might never expect. Some people get mad at small things, and those minor things can turn into something major. To protect yourself from cyberbullying, you treat others just like how you want to be treated. When you see bullying, help the victim by being kind and standing up for that person, just as you hope others will do the same if you become a victim of cyberbullying.

Bullying with a disguised identity

As kids get older, they become increasingly tech-savvy and smarter at disguising their identity and harassing someone without knowing the consequences. It is extremely easy for someone to hide their identity, but extremely difficult for a victim to find the culprit. The anonymous messaging apps do contribute to the growth of cyberbullying, and the government authorities can't do much about it. It is unfortunate to see anonymous messaging apps and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter becoming platforms for bullying people.

The fact that anyone can disguise themselves and craft hateful messages to distress and aggravate the victims without any accountability is mind-boggling. Hiding behind a scene of anonymity to send hurtful messages is a loser's move, but young adults don't often realize that such cowardly behavior is a crime.

What can you do about Cyber Bullying?

As a victim of cyberbullying, you may be frustrated, angered, and even discouraged by things you do. If you express those behaviors, you're helping the culprit, as that's what the person bullying you wants to see. There are many who suffer from cyberbullying, and you're not alone. It is easier said than done, but the following should be responses to cyberbullying.

• Ignore the bully and DO NOT respond. By responding to their bully, you're helping them achieve their intentions.
• Get Help from adults or authorities. Reach out to your parents, teachers, and authorities to let them know what you're going through and get help from the people who can help you.
• Keep a record of all messages received. If you need help from adults or authorities, you'll need a record of what you received, when it was received, and how it was delivered. If you can capture screenshots or photos of the posted content, it will be helpful for the investigation (if needed).
• Block phone numbers, emails, and social media posts if you know the culprit. Or, you may even stop using Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
• Don't let cyberbullying affect your lifestyle. The person who is bullying you may be jealous, envious, or even admire you, but they are bullying you because they don't have the wonderful traits you have. The person bullying you is the one with the problem, not you so there is no reason to be down. Instead of dealing with hiding haters, enjoy your life with someone you trust and love.