Cyberbullies are wreaking havoc on the internet, leaving their victims often feeling powerless and desperate. Here are some valuable pointers on how you can protect yourself and your loved ones.
Quick Tips:
โขย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Check your privacy settings: they are there to help you manage your online experience in a positive way.
โขย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Disable unwanted location services: you donโt really want the world to know where you live or play.
โขย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Think before you post: you can never permanently erase something that has been published on the internet.
ย
Bullying Tactics:
Doxing: to exact revenge, threaten or destroy the privacy of individuals by making their personal information public, including home address, phone numbers, links to social media accounts & other private data.
Creating a webpage, posting comments, rumours, photos etc. about someone online that are mean, hurtful or embarrassing.
Threatening to hurt someone or telling them to kill themselves.
ย
How to Handle Bullying:
Donโt respond or encourage: More often than not what your bully is looking for is some reaction from you. If you donโt give them any, itโs likely theyโll leave you alone.
Donโt retaliate: If you retaliate, you are becoming a bully yourself! Remember, you only have control over how you react.
Save any evidence: The one upside about cyberbullying is that it happens through technology, which means you can keep the evidence. If someone is sending you mean messages, screenshot them. You can retain them as proof!
Talk to a trusted adult: You deserve backup. Adults are the best people to do that. If you experience bullying, talk to a parent! If youโre not able to do that, talk to an adult at school, counsellors will know how to handle your situation. Schools usually have a way you can anonymously report bullying if youโre scared of people knowing you talked to someone.
ย
Educate Yourself:
The best way to stop cyberbullying is to recognize it when it starts. Educate yourself and your friends! Learn what cyberbullying is and how you can help others who are dealing with it.
Stay safe online: Make sure you are the only one who has access to your passwords. Yes, even your best friend shouldnโt know them! Make sure you log out of public computers as well. Be careful what you post, if it goes on the internet, itโs accessible in some form forever, even if you think itโs deleted!
Finally, donโt open messages or emails if you donโt know the person who sent them. They could be inappropriate messages or even computer viruses!
ย
Written by Craig Rosewarne (Managing Director, Wolfpack Information Risk (Pty) Ltd) ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
----
>>READ:ย Cyberbullying: The cause and effect and tips to deal with itย