Cyberbullying: What is it and how to stop it

What would you like to know about cyberbullying?” We posed this question to young people and received thousands of responses from around the world. We brought together UNICEF specialists and social media experts to answer the questions and give their advice on ways to deal with online bullying.

UNICEF

Being online has so many benefits.

• However, like many things in life, it comes with risks that you need to protect against
• We all want cyberbullying to stop, which is one of the reasons reporting is so important
• Creating the Internet we want goes beyond calling out bullying. We need to be thoughtful about what we share or say that may hurt others

If you think you’re being bullied, seek help

Seek help from someone you trust

• In your school, reach out to a counsellor, the sports coach or your favorite teacher
• If bullying is happening on a social platform, consider blocking the bully and formally reporting their behaviour on the platform itself

UNICEF:

Each social platform offers different tools that allow you to restrict who can comment on or view your posts, and to report cases of bullying.

• Social media companies also provide educational tools and guidance for children, parents and teachers to learn about risks and ways to stay safe online.
• The first line of defense against cyberbullying could be you.

UNICEF

Many young people experience cyberbullying every day. Some have taken their own lives as a result.

• Technology companies have a responsibility to protect their users especially children and young people. It is up to all of us to hold them accountable when they’re not living up to these responsibilities

Facebook/Instagram:

If you’re being bullied online, we encourage you to talk to a parent, teacher or someone else you can trust – you have a right to be safe.

• You can always send your team an anonymous report from a post, comment or story on Facebook or Instagram – these reports are always anonymous.

Anyone can become a victim of cyberbullying

If you see this happening to someone you know, try to offer support

• Listen to your friend
• Let them know that they don’t have to formally report anything, but it’s crucial to talk to someone who might be able to help
• Remember, your friend may be feeling fragile, so be kind to them

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital technologies

• It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones
• Repeated behavior aimed at scaring, angering, shaming or shaming those who are targeted

Facebook/Instagram:

A number of tools to help keep young people safe

• You can opt to ignore all messages from a bully or use our Restrict tool to discreetly protect your account without that person being notified
• Modify your settings so that only people you follow can send you a direct message
• Block specific accounts from contacting you, seeing your Tweets, and following you

Cyberbullying can affect a person in many ways:

Mentally – feeling upset, embarrassed, stupid, even angry

• Emotionally – feeling ashamed or losing interest in the things you love
• Physically – tired, sore, or experiencing symptoms like headaches and nausea

Facebook/Instagram:

Keeping Instagram and Facebook safe and positive places for self-expression is important to them

• They are committed to leading the fight against cyberbullying
• Using technology to prevent people from experiencing and seeing bullying
• Enabling people to turn on a setting that uses artificial intelligence technology to automatically filter and hide bullying comments intended to harass or upset people
• Encouraging positive behavior and interactions by giving people tools to customize their experience

UNICEF: Think twice before posting or sharing anything online – it may stay online forever and could be used to harm you later.

Don’t give out personal details such as your address, telephone number or the name of your school.

• Adjust your privacy settings to decide who can see your profile, send you direct messages or comment on your posts.

Facebook/Instagram:

Bullying and harassment are highly personal by nature, so in many instances, we need a person to report this behavior to us before we can identify or remove it.

• Reporting a case of cyberbullying is always anonymous on Instagram and Facebook, and no one will ever know you let them know about this behavior.
• Enabled bystander reporting which means that you can make a report on behalf of another person.

UNICEF

If you are experiencing cyberbullying, speaking to a trusted adult is one of the most important first steps you can take.

• Choose a time to talk when you know you have their full attention
• Explain how serious the problem is
• They might not have instant answers for you, but they are likely to want to help

UNICEF

Most schools take bullying seriously and will take action against it. If you are being cyberbullied by other students, report it to your school.

• Punishment is not effective in changing the behavior of bullies. It is often better to focus on repairing the harm and mending the relationship

Facebook/Instagram:

Facebook has a set of Community Standards, and Instagram has Community Guidelines that they ask their community to follow.

• If they find content that violates these policies, like in the case of bullying or harassment, they’ll remove it. If you think content has been removed incorrectly, you can appeal it through the Help Center.

UNICEF:

If you feel hurt or think others are laughing at you instead of with you, then the joke has gone too far. If it continues even after you’ve asked the person to stop and you are still feeling upset about it, then this could be bullying.

• Stopping cyberbullying is about recognizing that everyone deserves respect both online and in real life

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