How to Prevent Cyberbullying
- Online threats
Overview
Cyberbullying is a deliberate or persistent act of intimidating, mocking, insulting, or harming others on the internet. It can cause severe physical and emotional trauma to the victims and even put their lives at risk. Cyberbullying is a global phenomenon, especially prevalent among teenagers. According to a 2020 survey, 36% of American teenagers reported experiencing cyberbullying.
Contents
What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is an intentional or persistent act of intimidating, mocking, insulting, or harming others on the internet. It can occur through digital devices such as phones, computers, tablets, as well as platforms like messaging apps, social media, forums, and online games. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or malicious content, as well as disclosing personal or private information of others to cause embarrassment or humiliation. Some instances of cyberbullying may even involve illegal or criminal activities.
Cyberbullying differs from traditional face-to-face bullying in several ways, such as:
① Persistence
Digital devices enable communication and interaction anytime and anywhere, making it difficult for victims to find safe and comfortable spaces.
② Permanence
Most content posted or shared on the internet is permanent and public unless reported and removed. This creates an online reputation that may affect an individual's future opportunities in education, work, and life. Cyberbullying not only damages the victim's online reputation but also that of the perpetrators and participants.
③ Hard to Detect
Because teachers and parents may not be able to hear or see the cyberbullying incidents happening, it is challenging to identify and intervene.
Types of Cyberbullying
Based on different methods and motives, cyberbullying can be classified into four types:
① Verbal Bullying
This is the most common form of cyberbullying, involving using words or voice to insult, mock, threaten, or make malicious comments about others. For example, leaving derogatory messages on social media, sending threatening voice messages on messaging apps, spreading rumors on forums, etc.
② Social Bullying
This form of cyberbullying aims to exclude, isolate, or embarrass others by damaging their social relationships and reputation. For example, intentionally unfollowing or unfriending someone on social media, not replying or kicking someone out of a group chat, excluding or betraying others in online games, etc.
③ Identity Theft
Cyberbullying through identity theft involves deceiving, defrauding, or harming others by impersonating their identity or using their accounts. For example, creating fake accounts or pages on social media, using someone else's credit card or password for online shopping or banking, asking for personal information or money through private messages, etc.
④ Cyberstalking
This type of cyberbullying involves continuously monitoring or harassing others' online activities and location to intimidate, control, or threaten them. For example, constantly liking or commenting on someone's posts, tracking someone's location on maps or navigation apps, displaying someone's photos or videos during video chats or live streams, etc.
Impact of Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying has severe negative effects on victims' physical and mental well-being, academic performance, social relationships, and self-confidence. Here are some common impacts:
① Emotional Distress
Cyberbullying can cause victims to feel frustrated, anxious, fearful, angry, lonely, helpless, or inadequate. These negative emotions may affect the victims' mental health, leading to tendencies of depression, anxiety, insomnia, eating disorders, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts.
② Academic Decline
Cyberbullying can reduce victims' interest and motivation in learning, affect their attention and memory, and lower their academic performance. Cyberbullying may also lead to absenteeism, truancy, dropping out, or changing schools, affecting victims' educational opportunities and future prospects.
③ Social Difficulties
Cyberbullying can create challenges for victims in social interactions, such as difficulty in forming and maintaining friendships, trust, and communication with others, and adapting to new environments. Cyberbullying may also lead to rejection, isolation, or discrimination from others, affecting victims' social support and sense of belonging.
④ Decreased Self-Esteem
Cyberbullying can lead victims to have negative self-perceptions, such as feeling unworthy of love, undeserving of respect, or inadequate. These self-defeating thoughts may affect victims' self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-efficacy, making them less resilient in facing challenges and opportunities.
How to Prevent Cyberbullying
When using the internet, we all have the potential to become targets or participants of cyberbullying. Therefore, we should take measures to prevent cyberbullying from happening and spreading. Here are some common methods:
① Protect Personal Information
We should be mindful of safeguarding our personal information on the internet, such as names, ages, genders, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc., and avoid disclosing such information to unfamiliar or untrusted individuals. Regularly checking our online presence, such as photos, videos, comments, etc., and deleting or modifying content that may lead to misunderstandings or attacks is essential.
② Set Privacy Options
We should make use of the privacy options provided by various platforms to control our online visibility and interaction scope. For example, we can choose who can see our posts, who can send us private messages, who can follow us, etc. Blocking or reporting accounts that post or send harmful content helps to avoid interference or impact from them.
③ Refrain from Engaging in or Spreading Cyberbullying
We should refuse to participate in or spread cyberbullying behaviors, such as retweeting, liking, commenting, or sharing content containing malicious or insulting messages. We should also express opposition or protest against cyberbullying behavior, support or comfort victims, and prevent or stop the perpetrators.
④ Seek Help from Parents or Teachers
If we encounter cyberbullying or observe cyberbullying incidents, we should seek help from parents or teachers promptly instead of enduring or remaining silent. Parents or teachers can provide a safe and supportive environment, assist us in handling cyberbullying issues, and protect our personal data and online safety.
Recommendation: MetroVPN
In addition to the above methods, there is an effective way to prevent cyberbullying, and that is to use a VPN service, i.e., a Virtual Private Network. A VPN service allows us to remain anonymous and secure on the internet, preventing cyberbullies from finding our real identity and location, and also protecting us from surveillance or snooping on our online activities.
Among the many VPN services available, we recommend an excellent one called MetroVPN. MetroVPN is a user-friendly, fast, stable, and secure VPN service that enables safer internet usage. MetroVPN features:
① Global Servers
MetroVPN has a global network of servers that allows users to connect to any country or region, enabling unrestricted internet access.
② Encrypts Network Activity
MetroVPN uses advanced encryption technology to protect users' internet traffic from being monitored or altered by cyberbullies or third parties.
③ Surf Anonymously
MetroVPN conceals users' real IP addresses, enabling them to remain anonymous online and preventing tracking or geolocation.
④ Multi-platform
MetroVPN supports various operating systems and devices, such as Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, allowing users to use the internet securely anywhere.
⑤ 24/7 Customer Support
MetroVPN has a friendly and professional customer support team available toassist users with any issues they may encounter.
By taking preventive measures and utilizing a reliable VPN service like MetroVPN , we can enhance our online security and protect ourselves from cyberbullying as well as other online threats.
