Cyberbullying

Maria runs a fanpage for her favourite movie series. Fans from all over the world can come to her page and talk about the movies. It’s usually a lot of fun, but sometimes, people post really mean things. “I can’t believe you still like Horse Princess. Are you a baby? You are such a loser, and your website is stupid.” They flood the site with hateful comments.

It’s happening a lot, and Maria doesn't know what to do. Maybe she should shut down her website… Being online has so many benefits. You can communicate, study, shop, bank... It can also be really fun: you can play games, create art, read books, watch movies, and more! But people can be hurt or embarrassed online too, on social networking sites and chat forums, and over email and instant messaging.

Bullying that happens online is called cyberbullying. Bullying that happens online can be hard to escape. It can happen 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And when bullying takes place online, it can reach a wide range of people around the world, even total strangers, in just milliseconds. Hiding behind display names and icons, many people say and do things they would never do in real life.

Cyberbullying is so difficult to control because it can be done anonymously. Many cyberbullies keep their true identity hidden online and, as a result, do not get caught or face consequences for their actions. Maybe the only way to completely end cyberbullying is to stop using technology… but since most of us rely on the Internet every day, that’s not a long-term solution. So what can you do if you see or experience cyberbullying? If you experience or see cyberbullying, it’s important that you don’t respond to the bullies.

Instead, you should record the bullying you see. A picture or screenshot can be important evidence if you need to report it. Most websites have their own rules about how they would like people to use their services. They outline a clear policy of what sort of behavior is and is not allowed on their sites. It’s a good idea to be aware of those guidelines so that if you come across content that breaks them, you can report it to the service directly.

The owners of the sites may issue a warning, remove the content, or remove the accounts responsible. Next, unfriend, unfollow, or block the account of the person engaging in bullying, or simply leave the site. Finally, if you’re having a hard time dealing with cyberbullying, it’s important to talk to an adult you trust. Many countries have laws in place regarding harassment online and have resources in place to fight cyberbullying. Adults you trust can help you use these resources.

Maria decides to make community guidelines for her forum. Her technology teacher teaches her how to use a filtering tool to identify mean comments on her site, remove them quickly, and ultimately prevent users from experiencing bullying. Now everyone can go back to focusing on their favourite movie.