Preventing Cyber Bullying
You’ve already learned how you can deal with cyber bullying if it happens to you or someone you know. There are also ways to help prevent cyber bullying from happening. Here are some of them:
Talk to your friends about cyber bullying. Tell them what you’ve learned about cyber bullying, how it is hurtful, and what the consequences can be. Share with them what to do if they or someone they know is cyber bullied.
If your friends are cyber bullying someone, don’t participate. Talk to them about why it’s a bad idea. If that doesn’t work, tell a trusted adult. You might want to tell an adult no matter what. You can always ask them not to tell others that it was you who told them about the cyber bullying.
If someone says something that bothers or annoys you, talk with him or her about it in person. Discussing it face to face, respectfully, will probably give you the best chance of working it out. Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes, and also calmly let them know how you feel and why.
If you’re upset with someone, never take it out on him or her online. If you can’t work out a problem with the person by yourself, ask an adult for help.
Keep in mind that it’s easier to misunderstand a message when it’s sent or posted online, through a text, or through email. This is because you can’t hear the person’s tone of voice or see the expression on their face.
Always stop and think before you send any message or post anything online. Read it over. Ask yourself if this is really what you want to say, and if you need to say it in the first place. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. If you’re not sure, you can always save it and send it later. You can also ask an adult what they think.
Remember that everyone in this world is different from everyone else in the world. Our differences make us special. We all have feelings, and we all can feel both happiness and hurt. No one deserves to be put down or bullied in person or online.
Doing these things can prevent a lot of cyber bullying from ever happening. But if you do see cyber bullying taking place, the best thing you can do is take action as soon as possible. Be an upstander, not a bystander. Instead of just watching as someone beats up another person with words, stand up for the target. This might mean talking to the bully or bullies, telling an adult, reporting the bullying to the website, or helping the person who is bullied feel better.
Talk to your friends about cyber bullying. Tell them what you’ve learned about cyber bullying, how it is hurtful, and what the consequences can be. Share with them what to do if they or someone they know is cyber bullied.
If your friends are cyber bullying someone, don’t participate. Talk to them about why it’s a bad idea. If that doesn’t work, tell a trusted adult. You might want to tell an adult no matter what. You can always ask them not to tell others that it was you who told them about the cyber bullying.
If someone says something that bothers or annoys you, talk with him or her about it in person. Discussing it face to face, respectfully, will probably give you the best chance of working it out. Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes, and also calmly let them know how you feel and why.
If you’re upset with someone, never take it out on him or her online. If you can’t work out a problem with the person by yourself, ask an adult for help.
Keep in mind that it’s easier to misunderstand a message when it’s sent or posted online, through a text, or through email. This is because you can’t hear the person’s tone of voice or see the expression on their face.
Always stop and think before you send any message or post anything online. Read it over. Ask yourself if this is really what you want to say, and if you need to say it in the first place. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. If you’re not sure, you can always save it and send it later. You can also ask an adult what they think.
Remember that everyone in this world is different from everyone else in the world. Our differences make us special. We all have feelings, and we all can feel both happiness and hurt. No one deserves to be put down or bullied in person or online.
Doing these things can prevent a lot of cyber bullying from ever happening. But if you do see cyber bullying taking place, the best thing you can do is take action as soon as possible. Be an upstander, not a bystander. Instead of just watching as someone beats up another person with words, stand up for the target. This might mean talking to the bully or bullies, telling an adult, reporting the bullying to the website, or helping the person who is bullied feel better.
Next you will have a chance to share cyber bullying situations you have seen, or that have happened to you.
Kick Cyber Bullying was created by Liat Rothfeld. Last modified May 2016.
Portions of the information on this site were taken or modified, with permission, from Common Sense Media.
Portions of the information on this site were taken or modified, with permission, from Common Sense Media.