How is cyberbullying a problem

A good place to get information is the Keep it Tame website. It gives a great overview about cyberbullying. The effects of cyberbullying are similar to the effects of bullying, but the main difference is that it's much harder to avoid, because it can follow your teen home from school and make them feel like they'll never be able to escape it. Make sure your child knows it's not their fault, they're not alone, and that there are ways to deal with cyberbullying.

If you've noticed some warning signs in your teenager's behavior, you might be worried that they're thinking about suicide. Read more about how talk to your teen about suicide here. There is no perfect strategy on how to solve cyberbullying, although, if you know your child is being cyberbullied, the first thing to do is to be supportive and empathetic. Avoid the temptation to stop your child going online at all; this will more likely result in them not telling you if it occurs again.

Ways to offer emotional support to your child include:. If you require more information on how to address cyberbullying situations and for general cyberbullying safety tips, read the fact sheet Escalating Cyberbullying.

If your child is being bullied online, one of the most important things is to reassure them that there are people who can help. If you are being cyberbullied by other students, report it to your school. People who are victims of any form of violence, including bullying and cyberbullying, have a right to justice and to have the offender held accountable.

Laws against bullying, particularly on cyberbullying, are relatively new and still do not exist everywhere. This is why many countries rely on other relevant laws, such as ones against harassment, to punish cyberbullies. In countries that have specific laws on cyberbullying, online behaviour that deliberately causes serious emotional distress is seen as criminal activity. In some of these countries, victims of cyberbullying can seek protection, prohibit communication from a specified person and restrict the use of electronic devices used by that person for cyberbullying, temporarily or permanently.

However, it is important to remember that punishment is not always the most effective way to change the behaviour of bullies.

It is often better to focus on repairing the harm and mending the relationship. On Facebook, we have a set of Community Standards , and on Instagram, we have Community Guidelines that we ask our community to follow. If you think content has been removed incorrectly, we also allow for appeals. On Instagram, you can appeal content or account removal through our Help Center.

On Facebook, you can also go through the same process on the Help Center. We strongly enforce our rules to ensure all people can participate in the public conversation freely and safely. These rules specifically cover a number of areas including topics such as:.

As part of these rules, we take a number of different enforcement actions when content is in violation. When we take enforcement actions, we may do so either on a specific piece of content e. You can find more on our enforcement actions here.

Many of them are introducing ways to address it and better protect their users with new tools, guidance and ways to report online abuse. But it is true that even more is needed. Many young people experience cyberbullying every day. Some face extreme forms of online abuse. Some have taken their own lives as a result.

Technology companies have a responsibility to protect their users especially children and young people. Each social platform offers different tools see available ones below that allow you to restrict who can comment on or view your posts or who can connect automatically as a friend, and to report cases of bullying. Many of them involve simple steps to block, mute or report cyberbullying. We encourage you to explore them. Social media companies also provide educational tools and guidance for children, parents and teachers to learn about risks and ways to stay safe online.

Also, the first line of defense against cyberbullying could be you. Think about where cyberbullying happens in your community and ways you can help — by raising your voice, calling out bullies, reaching out to trusted adults or by creating awareness of the issue. Even a simple act of kindness can go a long way.

Many countries have a special helpline you can call for free and talk to someone anonymously. Visit Child Helpline International to find help in your country. For more tips on how to protect yourself and others from cyberbullying, check out our resources on Facebook or Instagram.

If people on Twitter become annoying or negative we have tools that can help you, and the following list is linked to instructions on how to set these up. TikTok stars Charli and Dixie D'Amelio open up about their personal experience of being bullied and share tips on how to make the internet a better place. How parents can start the mental health conversation with their kids OnMyMind. Show your teenager love and care, while looking after yourself. What is cyberbullying? The problem becomes even worse when it leads to teen depression.

In other words, a pattern of verbal or emotional abuse on social media can lead teens down a dark, slippery path. Imagine arriving at school each day, only to find your friends and acquaintances gossiping about what mean things were said about you on social media last night.

Over a long enough period of time, that has the potential for some seriously adverse results. You may have to do some negotiating on safe phone or computer use — the most important thing is to first get the bullying under control. You also can talk to your school counselor or a trusted teacher or family member. If the bullying feels like it's really getting you down like if it's affecting your sleep or concentration , therapy can help. If you're not ready for that, you can still benefit from the support of a trusted adult.

Walk away. What you've heard about walking away from a real-life bully works in the virtual world too. Ignoring bullies is the best way to take away their power, but it isn't always easy to do — in the real world or online. If you see something upsetting, try to step away from the computer or turn off your phone for a while. Don't respond, and never forward the message to someone else.

Find something to distract yourself from what's going on. Do something you love that doesn't give you time to think about what's happening, like playing the guitar, going for a run, or losing yourself in a book or movie. You can also just chat with a parent or sibling or play with a pet. Taking a break like this allows you to keep things in perspective and focus on the good things in your life.

It also gives you time to figure out how you want to handle things. Resist the urge to retaliate or respond. Walking away or taking a break when you're faced with online bullying gives you some space so you won't be tempted to fire back a response or engage with the bully or bullies. Responding when we're upset can make things worse.

Standing up to a bully can be effective sometimes, but it's more likely to provoke the person and escalate the situation. Taking a break gives the power back to you! Although it's not a good idea to respond to a bully, it is a good idea to save evidence of the bullying if you can.