Dealing with Cyber Bullying

The effects of cyber bullying may be different from one person to another. Spans from low self esteem, Withdrawal from family or friends and spending a lot of time alone, hurting oneself or worst, suicidal attempts.

Here are some information that might help deal with cyber bullying from www.safeteens.com:

Don’t respond. Your reaction is usually exactly what the bully wants. It gives him or her power over you. Who wants to empower a bully?

Save the evidence. The only good news about digital bullying is that the harassing messages can usually be captured, saved, and shown to someone who can help.

Talk to a trusted adult. You deserve backup. It’s always good to involve a parent but – if you can’t – a school counselor usually knows how to help.

Block the bully. If the harassment’s coming in the form of instant messages, texts, or profile comments, do yourself a favor: Use preferences or privacy tools to block the person. If it’s in chat, leave the “room.”

Be civil. Even if you don’t like someone, it’s a good idea to be decent and not sink to the other person’s level. Also, research shows that gossiping about and trash talking others increases your risk of being bullied. Treat people the way you want to be treated.

Be a friend, not a bystander. Watching or forwarding mean messages empowers bullies and hurts victims even more. If you can, tell bullies to stop or let them know harassment makes people look stupid and mean. It’s time to let bullies know their behavior is unacceptable – cruel abuse of fellow human beings. If you can’t stop the bully, at least try to help the victim and report the behavior.

From: http://www.safeteens.com/tips-to-stop-cyberbullying/