Online Bullying: Don’t Be a Victim and Don’t Be a Bully

Getting away from the constant threat of bullying can be one of the reasons to leave a traditional learning environment. If you do see yourself as a victim, you may not feel empowered to fight back. Bullies can make our lives quite miserable. Not only do our grades begin to suffer, but so does our self-esteem and not to mention our safety. Advice given by the schools may be to stand up for ourselves and inform teachers and parents about our concerns. In practice, it may not enough to make the bullying stop.

A strong bully will be clever enough to keep at the activity. Escaping the situation may seem like the easiest option. Fortunately, schools have an absolute zero tolerance for bullying; though, unfortunately, it still happens all over the world. The digital world is no exception.

If you’re like most teenagers, you probably spend a few hours every day Online. It’s a whole other world of opportunity for people who like to tease, intimidate, insult, and threaten other people just for the sake of it. Cyberbullying goes beyond trolling. It’s an act of cruelty intended to hurt another person.

E-Learning & Cyberbullying

At BrightMinds, students are expected and encouraged to participate in class discussion and to voice their opinions. But like any online platform where interaction is involved, the risk of encountering people who don’t share the same views as you is higher. That is why we have policies in place to make the discussions a safe and effective place to learn. It’s okay to disagree with someone, as long as you both respect your ability to do so.

What to Do if You’re Being Cyberbullied

The more time you spend Online, the more susceptible you are to meeting off-putting characters, whether they are fellow students or people you meet through social media. You may be the victim of cyberbullying if:

• In an online forum or comment section, someone singles you out and challenges everything you say to the point of harassment
• Someone contacts you either Online or on your phone and refuses to tell you who they are
• Someone spreads false information about you
• Someone impersonates you
• Someone conducts an online poll in order to offend you
• Someone asks you to send them nude or partially nude photos of yourself

If you think someone Online—a fellow student, an acquaintance, or even a total stranger—may be bullying you, the most important thing to remember is to NEVER respond. Your bully is trying to get a reaction out of you; at first, your silence will frustrate them, but eventually, it will bore them. Print out the nasty communication they sent you and delete everything. If the situation worsens or the bully persists, present the printed communication to your parents or the police.

Are You a Cyberbully Without Even Knowing it?

Looking at the comment section of any YouTube video makes you think that people feel invincible on the Internet. But just because you’re slightly more anonymous, doesn’t mean that you should harass others with impunity. You may be an unwitting cyberbully if you’ve committed any of these internet sins:

• Pretended to be someone else Online without their permission
• Logged into someone’s Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat account without their permission
• Harassed someone, said mean things to them or about them on social media
• Sent texts to someone from an unknown number without revealing your identity
• Personally attacked someone for their opinions in an online forum
• Asked your boyfriend or girlfriend to send you nude photos
• Forwarded nude pictures of your boyfriend or girlfriend to other people

For more information about what constitutes online bullying, click here.

Reach Out

You don’t have to face online bullying alone. If you feel like a fellow student has crossed the line, speak to your parents and teachers right away. BrightMinds has zero tolerance for online bullies and will take action to ensure your mental and physical well-being doesn’t suffer.