Coping with cyber bullying

Cyberbullying is the use of technology, such as mobiles and the internet, to bully other people. Coping with it can be difficult because it can happen at any time of the day.

Scroll down for advice on how to respond to cyberbullying.

• Texting threatening or nasty messages to people.
• 'Happy slapping', which is when people use their mobiles to film and share videos of physical attacks.
• Posting an embarrassing or humiliating video of someone on a video-hosting site such as YouTube.
• Harassing someone by repeatedly sending texts or instant messages in a chat room.
• Setting up profiles on social networking sites, such as Bebo or Facebook, to make fun of someone.
• Excluding people on social networking sites.
• Stealing someone’s identity by hacking into their account.
• Sending or forwarding personal or private information or images.
• Sending viruses that can cause damage to another person’s computer.
• Making abusive comments about another user on a gaming site.

Scroll down to find out how to avoid being cyberbullied.

Even if you’re not the one who started the bullying, you become part of it when you laugh at a message that could be hurtful or threatening to someone else, or forward it on.

Sometimes, people join in with cyberbullying without realising. For example, someone might email a friend and say something negative about another friend without expecting the content of the message to be shared with anyone else. However, if the email is forwarded to other people, that is cyberbullying.

Don't let yourself get dragged into cyberbullying. Think about the impact of what you say in text messages, chat rooms and emails. Could your words be used to hurt someone else, or could they be turned against you?

In some cases, cyberbullying can be a criminal offence. For example, it could be treated as a form of harassment or threatening behaviour.

Do

• Talk to someone you trust. This could be a teacher, parent, carer or friend. Schools have a responsibility to ensure that students aren’t bullied, and they can take action even if the bullying is happening outside school. You can also speak in private to ChildLine on 0800 1111.
• Report the bullying to the internet service provider (ISP) if the bullying happened online. Ask a parent or teacher for help, or look at the Chatdanger website, which has safety advice about mobiles and internet use.
• Report the bullying to your mobile phone provider if you’ve received bullying texts or calls on your mobile. It may even be necessary to change your number if you're repeatedly bullied through your phone.
• Block instant messages and emails. Ask a parent or teacher for help, or look at the Chatdanger website for advice on how to do this.
• Report serious bullying, such as physical or sexual threats, to the police.

Don't

• Don’t delete the upsetting emails or messages. Keep the evidence. This will help to identify the bully if the bullying is anonymous. Even people who use a false name or email can be traced.
• Don’t reply. This is what the bully wants, and it might make things worse.

The best way to avoid being cyberbullied is to use the internet and mobile phones carefully.

• Don’t give out personal details, such as your phone number or address, in a chat room.
• Think carefully before posting photos or videos of you or your friends.
• Only give your mobile number to close friends.
• Protect passwords, and never give your friends access to your accounts.
• Don’t forward nasty emails.
• Learn how to block instant messages or use mail filters to block emails.
• Know how to report bullying to internet service providers or website administrators.  Ask a parent or teacher for help, or look at the advice on Chatdanger's website.

Useful websites for information and help

Cybermentors
Cybermentors is run by young people for young people. If you're being cyberbullied or bullied in any other way, you can log on to the site and chat to a cybermentor. He or she will help you work out what to do next.

Directgov: cyberbullying
These pages for young people contain detailed information about different forms of cyberbullying, with tips on how to deal with it.

Chatdanger
Chatdanger contains safety advice on mobiles, chatrooms, email, online games and instant messaging.

Digizen
Digizen focuses on responsible use of the internet. Its section on cyberbullying includes a short film called Let’s fight it together, about the way a boy who is being cyberbullied deals with the situation.