Cyberbullying is when someone harasses or intimidates others online. Cyberbullies do it to gain power over others, get revenge, or for fun. Victims should block the sender, keep track of messages, and inform parents or teachers. Limiting online activities and changing accounts can help. Parents should take reports of cyberbullying seriously and report disparaging websites to the domain host.
A cyberbully is someone who harasses or intimidates people online through message boards, chat rooms, social networking sites, and instant messaging (IM). This could be an extension of offline bullying activities or it could be related to online activities only. People of all ages can experience cyberbullying, not just schoolchildren
There are a number of different reasons cyberbullies do the way they do, but often it is an attempt to gain power over others. By posting a derogatory message or sending an offensive instant message, some bullies hope to establish a pecking order, with themselves at the top. Others may be hoping to get revenge against someone who caused them problems offline at school. Sometimes several people may enjoy slandering or mocking more vulnerable classmates together.
If you find yourself in the crosshairs of a cyberbully, one of your first lines of defense is to block the sender and keep track of all harassing communications. Never accept a message from a sender you don’t recognize, as the sender could use any response against you later. Choose a generic, gender-neutral online nickname whenever possible to prevent an offline bully from finding out who you are. Perform periodic online searches of your name to check for defamatory websites.
Cyberbullies thrive on the attention they get from their victim, so it’s best to ignore them. If you are a child, you should inform a parent or teacher of the messages you have received and real names you can attach to the sender. Very often, a cyberbully’s online actions mirror the offline events during the day. A hostile encounter with someone during the day can lead to a hateful website being formed or altered photographs sent to the victim by email that evening. All such incidents must be reported for possible legal action by the sender’s Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Direct confrontation with a cyberbully, whether online or offline, is not recommended. By ignoring his messages and online taunts, the victim takes off much of his steam. The person usually moves on to another victim or escalates the attack until it becomes quite apparent that action needs to be taken by the chatroom or message board moderators. As long as the messages don’t specifically mention criminal acts or credible threats of violence, the bully can be protected under the First Amendment. Chatroom and forum moderators may choose to delete inflammatory posts or ban troublemakers, but some people hover around such actions.
Sometimes the best way to deal with a cyberbully is to limit your online activities and communications. Use your phone for casual conversations with friends, rather than a public chat room or instant messaging service. Be prepared to change your online accounts and nicknames to thwart future attacks. Avoid posting dramatic farewell messages to chats or public message boards following an attack. This will only send the person a message that his intimidation methods have been successful.
Parents should take any reports of cyberbullying as seriously as physical bullying. Children can become severely depressed or even commit suicide after being subjected to constant cyberbullying. Disparaging websites created by anonymous classmates should be reported to the domain host immediately. The images and language used on such websites are very likely to violate the hosting company’s Terms of Service (TOS), which gives the company every right to take down the offending website.
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