How To Spot Cyberbullying And What To Do About It

With the recent advances in technology and the internet, bullying has been taken to a whole new level.  Kids, teens and adults are all prone to being cyber bullied via social media channels and websites.  Cyberbullies are just the same as regular bullies, except it can sometimes feel even scarier and more daunting being the victim of internet bullying.

The internet has the power to make things viral among smaller communities such as schools, colleges and university groups.  One nasty post shared via social media can seem to have devastating effects on the victim.

 

Symptoms of Cyberbullying

If your child, friend or other family member is quiet and troubled, looking frequently checking their phone, they may be a victim of cyberbullying.  Cyberbullying can take many forms.  These include private messages, public posts and even websites dedicated to the purpose of bullying a single person or group of people.

Here are some common symptoms of cyberbullying:

• Reclusive behavior with frequent phone checks
• Sudden bursts of negative emotion
• Decrease in grades or work quality in general
• Disinterest in previously favoured hobbies
• Alterations in sleeping and eating patterns
• Unwillingness to go to school, college, university or even workplace

Preventing Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying prevention can be achieved through a few different avenues.  One of the best ways to deal with it, however, is to ignore it.  If the victim rises to the bullying or shows it affecting them, the bully will get something out of it.  Yet if the victim seems unconcerned with the activity, it will soon become very boring and tedious for the bully.

Another means of cyberbullying is hacking.  If bullies manage to hack into social media accounts, they can make status updates or attempt to tarnish relationships with the victim’s contacts.  One way around this is to always use a secure connection when running social media activity through your phone and devices.

Lastly, telling teachers, the police, friends and family members about the cyberbullying attacks is essential to prevent it getting out of hand or continuing.  If none of the other methods have worked, this is the necessary solution the victim should turn to. Authorities can help take down websites, social media accounts and pages, and find an appropriate way to punish the bullies.

 

Conclusion

Overall, by spotting cyberbullying early on and using preventative measures, you can stop it from worsening and having a more dramatic impact on the victim.  The longer cyberbullying is allowed to continue the more severe it will become.  If you spot it or are currently facing cyberbullying, be sure to take action in a way that prevents the bullying from continuing or getting out of hand.