What Is Cyberbullying?

Date First Published: 13th May 2023

Topic: Cybersecurity

Subtopic: Threats To Systems, Data & Information

Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 3/10

Learn more about what cyberbullying is in this article.

Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that happens electronically over the internet or on a mobile phone. Whilst cyberbullying can take place between people of any age, it is much more common among younger people, including children and teenagers. Cyberbullying is a serious matter and people who have been bullied online may feel hurt and experience lower self-esteem as well as negative emotional responses, including getting angry and anxious.

As technology has advanced, cyberbullying has become more common. The reasons why cyberbullying is becoming so common is that it is very easy for people to hide or disguise their identities online and they have 24/7 access to online services and technologies. In addition, cyberbullies are distanced from their victims, so victims who know cyberbullies online don't know who they are really talking to or whether they are dangerous.

In order to be considered cyberbullying, the behaviours intended to emotionally harm or intimidate someone on the internet have to be persistent and repeated. For example, simply posting a hurtful message on a user's social media page once is not considered cyberbullying. If the user repeatedly posted those hurtful messages on every new post and started harassing them, it would be considered cyberbullying.

Examples Of Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can come in so many forms. Below are 15 examples of cyberbullying:

• Spreading false rumours about someone else on social media sites.
• Taking degrading or embarrassing pictures or videos of someone else and posting them on the Web to a wide audience without their permission.
• Harassing someone over an instant messaging session.
• Sending threatening emails to someone else.
• Sharing personal or private information about someone else on the Web to a wide audience without their permission, which would make them feel unsafe.
• Pretending to be someone else to mock them on the Web.
• Persistently sending rude or mean messages to a user in a chatroom.
• Posting hurtful comments about another person on a personal blog.
• Repeatedly calling someone else's phone number and harassing them.
• Using group chats to gang up on one person.
• Creating webpages that make fun of someone else or lie about them to put them down or make them feel bad.
• Hacking into someone else's account and posting or sending harmful information in their name to spite them.
• Persistently flooding another person's inbox with unsolicited email messages.
• Sending hurtful messages to someone else on online games.
• Posting hurtful or mean messages on a user's social media page.

Where Does Cyberbullying Happen?

Cyberbullying can happen in any place that allows users to share messages and other media, either textual, visual, or audio messages. Below are 8 examples of places where cyberbullying can happen.

• Social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok. Social media platforms are reported to be where most young people have experienced cyberbullying.
• Personal blogs, forums, and websites.
• Chatrooms - Since messages are displayed in real-time as soon as they are typed without having to reload the page, cyberbullying can get serious quickly.
• Email messages - Email messages can be easily forwarded and sent to anyone around the world with an email address, making it a common target for cyberbullying.
• Phone calls - People can easily be harassed by constant phone calls.
• Text messages - Like phone calls, text messages can be used for cyberbullying in that people can be harassed. However, it is not as easy for cyberbullies to hide their identity as their phone number will be displayed when sending a text message.
• Instant messaging - Like chatrooms, messages are also displayed in real-time as soon as they are typed without having to reload the page, allowing cyberbullying to get serious quickly.
• Online games - Online games can come with a risk of cyberbullying in that some allow users to communicate with each other using typed messages.

What To Do If I Have Been Cyberbullied?

If you have experienced cyberbullying, you should follow the tips below:

Don't retaliate

It can be tempting to defend or stand up for yourself when being cyberbullied. Even though this may make you feel better for a few minutes, this is a bad idea as it usually brings even more attention to the situation and could lead to long arguments. Cyberbullies could use anything that you reply to harass you even more. Every time you defend or stand up for yourself, you are giving them what they want - attention. Instead, it is best to ignore and limit contact with cyberbullies, encouraging them to move on.

Block the cyberbully

If possible, you should block the cyberbully from sending you messages or emails, or texts. For information on how to do this, check the website or app for specific instructions. Nearly all social media sites and instant messaging applications have a feature to block someone from sending you messages. If the cyberbully is communicating with you by text or telephone, you can block their phone number so that they can no longer call or text you.

Report it to the site administrator

If cyberbullying is happening on someone else's personal blog, social media page, or a third-party forum, it is unlikely that you will be able to block someone from posting or delete their posts yourself. You will have to report it to the site administrator. Make sure to describe it in detail and collect all the necessary evidence, including screenshots of the messages or images so that you have a record of what they have said to you. It is very likely that the cyberbullying is against the website's terms of service. If you report cyberbullies to the site administrator, they may block, suspend, or close their account.

All major social media sites strictly prohibit cyberbullying and have a section where you can report it. Social media sites take cyberbullying very seriously and take things down if they go against their terms of service. If cyberbullying is persistent, they may suspend or close the cyberbully's account.

Take a cyber-break

It is easier to deal with cyberbullying if you have a break from being online. Staying online without taking breaks increases the chances that you will constantly look at what the cyberbully has said to you and upset you even more. In addition, it makes it more likely that you will retaliate or defend yourself, which is a bad idea. This is why you should do something to distract yourself for a while.

Tell a trusted friend, parent, or teacher

If the cyberbullying has been upsetting you, telling a trusted friend, parent, or teacher about the cyberbullying can you help you deal with the cyberbullying instead of keeping it to yourself. They can help you figure out what to do about the situation and offer you support. If you are a child, preteen, or teenager and the cyberbully is an adult, you should definitely tell another adult.

Report it to the local authorities

If the cyberbullying is turning into a situation where your safety is being threatened and you are in immediate danger (e.g. it threatens something physical or sexual), you need to report it to the local authorities in your country.

Difference Between Cyberbullying and Cyberstalking

The terms cyberbullying and cyberstalking are sometimes used synonymously, but cyberbullying is not the same thing as cyberstalking. Cyberstalking is a type of cyberbullying and both take place electronically over the internet or on a mobile phone. However, cyberstalking is more focused on the use of the internet to stalk or keep a tab on someone else. On the other hand, cyberbullying is a wider term referring to general, intentional, and persistent behaviours designed to emotionally harm or intimidate someone on the internet.

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