What to do if you're being cyberbullied?

• Ignore it:- 

Victims should try not to react to “minor teasing or name-calling” online as far as they can avoid it. Bullies continuously need to evoke a response from their victims and are empowered even more when the desired response has been achieved.

• Record:-

Victims should keep an in-depth record of the interactions and the bullying messages received by them through the bully in hard copies. Keeping a chronological record will help the relevant authority to properly analyze the situation, and verify the kind of interaction that went down between both parties.

• Reaching out to a trusted authority or guardian:-

Victims ought to reach out to their guardians, their favorite educator, school administrators, advisors, and indeed police officers who can offer assistance them deal with cyberbullying. These trusted individuals can enlist a lot of methods and laws to protect the victim and help them with an appropriate approach. It’s also helpful that the victim talks to their friends or a counsellor so that they can get their support when they feel upset or unsettled by the hurtful messages or comments.

• Cutting off the bully:- 

Victims are prompted that they ought to seize all contact with the bully as soon as possible. Victims should block their phone number so that they no longer receive their calls or texts. If that’s not an option then they should contemplate changing phone numbers. Social Media platforms allow us to block other users if we no longer intent to interact with them anymore. Cyberbullies can be determined and they may make fake ids or new accounts to proceed bullying the victims. The victims should avoid even a minimal interaction with them and leave their messages or comments unseen.  

• Going high-tech:- 

If victims are being bullied online through a social media website, the bully is violating the website’s terms of use and policies. Victims can report the bullies to the website administrator which will get their accounts deleted permanently and they will be restricted from using the website too. Facebook and YouTube, some of the largely prominent sites for cyberbullying activity, victims can report cyberbullying incidents to the sites’ “safety centers.” The Cyberbullying Research Centre also notes that the parents can help by getting in touch with the internet service provider, cell phone service provider, or content provider. These providers will look into the offensive content and will help the victims in taking down the hurtful posts.