How can I stop a Cyber Bully?

Listen to Lesson

Bullying page 09

How can I stop a Cyber Bully?


To start with, if you’re being cyber bullied, it’s critical to remember you’ve done nothing wrong.

It’s the OTHER person who has the problem!

Here are Some Other Important Do's and Dont's


Choose your passwords carefully.

Select ones that are easy for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess.


Save all messages as evidence.

Don’t upset yourself by reading all of them, but since a paper trail exists, SAVE IT! Print

several copies and give them to one or more trusted adults to hold. They may come in handy later to support your case.


Bottom line: Threatening others is plain wrong and can get people in trouble in school, at home, or with the law.


Talk to a parent or responsible adult immediately

if someone says or does something that makes you feel uncomfortable or threatened in any way.

Besides keeping you safe, this person can help

figure out what needs to be done next.

This could include contacting the parents of the cyber bully, consulting an attorney, or even calling the police if you’ve been threatened with harm.


Report inappropriate or offensive messages

to the company that runs the chat room or web site. Follow that up by filing a complaint with your Internet service provider (ISP).


If the unwelcome message arrived via cell phone, file a complaint with your cell phone company.


Note:


Some people think that if you’re absolutely sure you know who did it, and if you’re comfortable with the idea of facing the person, you could calmly ask for the cruel emails to stop and the hurtful posts to be removed. People who do this certainly deserve credit for having the courage to stand up for themselves. They also need to realize they’re taking a HUGE risk.

The cyber bullying could continue; in fact, possibly even get worse.

For example, if they invite an adult to go with them to help equalize the power, they might now also be called a "baby" who had to bring someone along to help protect them.