What you can do about Cyberbullying
As you have read on this blog there are many kids who have been bullied both in and outside of school. It used to be that the bullies would even tease and torment targets on the way home from school but today they have the capability of bullying anytime anywhere, thanks to smart phones and the many social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
When the bully takes his hurtful tasks to the internet or on the cell phone in the form of a text he is Cyber bullying. You can’t see their faces or hear their voices but they are still there. This kind of bullying can be anything from saying a person is ugly to sharing mean videos or pictures about them. Many students have shared that they have been cyber bullied. It is a big problem but the good news is that federal and local authorities are passing laws and creating new technologies that help them find out who the bully is arrest and prosecute them to the full extent of the law.
What can you do now to stand up to Cyber bullying?
Don’t react. It may be tempting to say something back but if you respond you are playing right into the bully’s hands. That is what he wants you to do. I would instead go by the rule that silence is louder than words and in time he will mess up and be caught.
Record what they are saying about you. Thanks to our computer printers you can print out everything on your Facebook and Twitter pages. You can even sent text messages to your email to print out too. Each of these messages will be dated and in most cases have the bullies email, name or number right on it. So that’s all you have to do is print it out and keep it as a record to help you report their actions.
Tell an adult! I beg you not to tell your friends or even forward the message to others. If you do this you are once again playing into the bullies hands. That is what he wants you to do. He wants you to show weakness. You need to show him that you are strong and you are not going to take it. By telling an adult and showing them your paper trail you are taking action to put an end to the problem.
The adult can be a family member, teacher or guidance counselor and they will support and help you deal with the problem.
No one has the right to hurt you in anyway you are a great person and don’t let anyone make you believe that you are not.
Please comment and feel free to share this with your friends…
Copyright Richard Paul 2010
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