How to deal with a Cyberbully
- Don’t erase or delete messages from a cyberbully. Keep them as a record of the malicious behavior in case you need them to help identify the bully.
- Never engage or respond to the bullying. They want you to answer, so don’t give them the satisfaction.
- Cyberbullying is easier to prevent than to fix, so if you need to, create all new accounts or change your email associated with your accounts.
- Take a breather. Turn off the computer and give yourself a break. By walking away you become less assessable to bullying and harassment.
- Talk to someone about it. Often times ignoring a bully leads to the situation escalating, so know where to get help, like your local police department or visit Cybertip.ca to report the issue online.
What do cyberbullies do?
- Send mean emails in an attempt to bother and threaten someone
- Post images of someone or a group online in an attempt to embarrass them
- Take a photograph or video of someone and posting it without their consent
- Befriend someone via email or instant message in an attempt to learn personal information, which is then used maliciously
- Break into someone’s email or social network account in order to steal personal information to use maliciously
Defining cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is defined as the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated and hostile behavior by an individual or group, with the intent to cause harm.
The official definition according to the National Crime Prevention Council is: When the Internet, cell phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.
