Photo Courtesy of Pixabay. Cyberbullying has become rampant in the age of technology and social media, leaving teens vulnerable to threats and harassment.
Ways to alleviate, prevent cyberbullying
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In the era of quarantine and distance learning, social media has become a major source of interaction, leading to an increase in cyberbullying. Although cyberbullying is rampant, there are several steps one can take to alleviate the problem.
When being cyberbullied, be sure to remain calm. Do not respond to the harassment in order to avoid worsening it. It is recommended to keep the messages or screenshot them to save evidence in case of a future report. After collecting proof, block the bully, although feel free to do so before as well, or report them if this took place over a social media platform. However, if one’s safety was threatened, alert authorities immediately. Once the situation has been handled, feel free to talk to someone or speak to a counselor if the bullying had a major impact.
While bullying is never the fault of the victim, there are ways to prevent being cyberbullied. Creating strong passwords and keeping them private reduces the possibility of being hacked. It is also important to be mindful and cautious of everything one posts online. Digital footprints are permanent and can be used maliciously by anyone on the internet. To reduce the likelihood of being cyberbullied, one can also limit their social media presence.
Cyberbullying is common and widespread, but there are several measures one can take to avoid being a victim or to stop the bullying once it occurs. Resources and guides for online safety are listed below.
Resources: https://cyberbullying.org/resources
Safety guide: https://www.connectsafely.org/safetytips/
