What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is where someone bullies another person online, for example, using a mobile phone, the internet or virtual gaming system. It can consist of:
- Threats and intimidation
- Harassment and staling
- False statements about another person
- Rejection of exclusion
- Identity theft and impersonation
- Exclusion
- Manipulation
Why is cyberbullying different to face to face bullying?
- It can reach a large number of people very quickly
- It can impact a person at any time of day or night whilst at home
- The bully can be anonymous
- There is often some form of evidence eg. A social media post or a screenshot
What should you do if you are being bullied online?
- Tell an adult that you trust, for example your parents, a teacher, manager or anyone else you feel comfortable talking to
- Report and abusive posts on the social media platforms that it occurred on
- Keep any evidence such as the dates, time, social media platforms and screenshots for evidence
- Don’t retaliate by replying to comments
- Block the bully / bullies
- Keep personal details away from people that you don’t trust by turning your privacy settings on