Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, insult, or intimidate another young person—or a combination of these actions. Like in-person bullying, it is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance, and it is often repetitive. It is estimated that 1 in 10 Americans has experienced online harassment. 44% of youth report digitally disconnecting from people largely due to bullying. 60% of children have witness some form of bullying. 42% reported being bullied on Instagram. 37% reported being bullied on Facebook. 31% reported being bullied on Snapchat. 

Here are some tips to deal with cyber bullying:

1) Don’t Engage or respond- The goal of any bully is to goad his or her victim into anger, in effect “getting to” the target and making him or her acknowledge ridiculous claims or malicious statements.

2) Keep Everything- Save all posts, messages and communications from the bully by taking screenshots, or photos on your smartphone, recording the time and date as proof and evidence of cyberbullying.

3) Tell an adult immediately- get help solving the problem- young adults who are the victims of cyberbullying are more than twice as likely to engage in self-harm or attempt suicide.

4) Learn More- educate yourself about cyber bullying. A recent Google survey reported that teachers now consider cyberbullying to be the #1 classroom safety problem.