UNICF on Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying: What is it?

[Note: The article was created by a team of UNICF specialists who teamed up with major social media companies, this article is a abridged version of it.]

Cyberbullying is online bullying. It can happen on mobile devices, social media, chat apps, and gaming platforms. It involves continued acts with the purpose of frightening, infuriating, or humiliating the victim.

Examples include:

• Posting false information about someone on the internet, publishing embarrassing pictures or videos of a person on social media.

• sending nasty, abusive, or threatening messages, pictures, or videos through messaging apps.

• pretending to be another person and sending cruel messages to people on his behalf or through fictitious accounts.

Bullying that occurs in person and cyberspace can often happen together. However, cyberbullying creates a digital trail that may be useful in establishing the fact that abuse is being put to a halt.

1. Am I being bullied online?

Most friends joke around with each other, however it can be hard to tell that someone is only joking around and not really trying to hurt you, especially if it happens online. That does not mean however that the joke has gone too far if one feels offended with it or believed that people laughed about him rather than with him. Bullying already takes place if the bullying behavior continues persisting even you have asked to stop and it still upsets you. Moreover, when bullying occurs online, it can attract unwanted attention from people other than friends and acquaintances. If you don't like it, you shouldn't be forced to accept it, whether at school or elsewhere.

2. General effects of cyberbullying
It can feel like you are being attacked from all sides, even in your own home, when bullying occurs online. There may seem to be no way out. The consequences can be long-lasting and impact a person in a variety of ways:

• Mentally: feeling irritation, embarrassment, fear, or anger.

• Emotionally: not being interested in things you used to love or being embarrassed .

• Physically: tired from lack of sleep or stomachaches, headaches People may not speak up or try to address.

the issue if they feel that others are making fun of them or harassing them. In extreme cases, people may even commit suicide due to cyberbullying.

3. Effects of cyberbullying on mental health

The victim of cyberbullying may start feeling embarrassed, uneasy, apprehensive, and insecure about what other people may think or say about them. This may result in negative thoughts, withdrawal from friends and family, guilt about actions or inactions, or a sense of unfavorable judgment. Typical symptoms include frequent headaches, nausea, stomachaches, and feelings of loneliness and overload.

The victim may be demotivated to engage in activities they often like and experience a sense of alienation from others they care about and trust. Their mental health and general well-being may be affected by this, as it may reinforce unpleasant emotions and thoughts.

4. Who should a Victim talk to?

They should seek help from a trusted adult like their parents or their nearest relative if they feel that they are being bullied. they can reach out to their favorite teacher, the sports coach, or even a counselor in the school. In addition to this, they can find a helpline number in their country to talk with a licensed counselor if they don't feel like talking to a friend or a family member. They should consider banning the bully and formally reporting their actions on the social media site if the bullying is taking place there.

5.How to prevent personal information from being used to bully on social media.

Carefully consider what you are doing before sharing or posting something on social media, as it might be used against you someday and will be there forever. Avoid giving private information like your address, phone number, or school name. Learn what the privacy settings are for on your social media apps. You can do these things:

• Changing your account privacy settings.

• It is possible to report offensive content and ask that they be taken down.

• You can block someone entirely to prevent them from seeing your profile or contacting you.

6. Punishment for Cyberbullying.

The majority of schools will take action against bullying because they take it seriously. Inform your school if you are being cyberbullied by other kids.

Victims of bullying and cyberbullying, as well as other forms of violence, have a right to justice and the prosecution of the perpetrator.

Bullying laws, especially those pertaining to cyberbullying, are still relatively new and not universally enforced. For this reason, several nations prosecute cyberbullies using other pertinent laws, like those that prohibit harassment.

Online behavior that intentionally causes significant emotional distress is considered criminal action in nations with laws specifically addressing cyberbullying. In certain of these nations, victims of cyberbullying have the option to request protection, ban communication with a designated individual, and temporarily or permanently limit their use of electronic devices used for cyberbullying.

Citation:

Full Article- https://www.unicef.org/end-violence/how-to-stop-cyberbullying