Cyber Bullying

Bullying basically means to use your strength or power to hurt or frighten somebody who is weaker or to make him/her do something.

There is no legal definition of bullying. But it is usually defined as repeated behaviour which is intended to hurt someone either emotionally or physically, and is often aimed at certain people because of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation or any other aspect such as appearance or disability.

Bullying includes: 

-People calling you names.

-Making things up to get you into trouble.

-Hitting, pinching, biting, pushing and shoving.

 -Taking things away from you.

-Damaging your belongings.

-Stealing your money.

- Posting insulting messages or rumours, in person online.

-Threats and intimidation.

-Making silent or abusive phone calls.

-Sending you offensive texts or messages.

Bullying can take many forms including:

-Physical assault.

-Social bullying.

-Threatening behaviour .

Name calling.

-Cyberbullying.

 Here we are going to talk about Cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.

The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

-Social Media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.

-SMS (Short Message Service) also known as Text Message sent through devices.

-Instant Message (via devices, email provider services, apps, and social media messaging features).

-Email.

Reducing bullying is an important term and children should be aware of it.

By keeping all our private informations in only  between trusted ones and not posting or sharing all informations on social media plateforms we can reduce Cyberbullying.

By talking to trusted ones or parent's or teacher's can stop a child from being bullied.

There are different laws for different types of bullying.

Although all states have laws requiring schools to respond to bullying, many states do not include cyberbullying under these laws or specify the role schools should play in responding to bullying that takes place outside of school. Schools may take action either as required by law, or with local or school policies that allow them to discipline or take other action.

We can prevent bullying/Cyberbullying by following tips.

Tip 1 to Prevent Cyber Bullying – 

Be Wary of Your Child’s Online Activities.

In this digital era, children are growing up with technology at their fingertips. Thus, different types of cyber bullying have become a household occurrence. Teenagers and adolescents are more vulnerable to cyber bullying as they have limited understanding of the good and the bad.

In the unfortunate event of your child experiencing cyber bullying, it is essential that you take prompt steps to show your support as well as report cyber bullying. The following are some of the things that you can do in case your child or kin is a victim of cyber bullying.

Observe...

Notice if there is any abnormal change in the behavior or mood. Try to self-investigate the causes and note if these changes usually take place during the use of digital devices.

Conversation...

Don’t try to sound too prying or demanding, but gently engage your ward in a conversation. Take him/her into confidence and try to understand what is happening, when it all started and who are all involved?

Record...

Try to maintain a record of the online activities. If possible, take screenshots of any offensive or harmful content or post. In any case, evidence of online activities is mandatory when reporting cyber bullying.

Report...

Most social media platforms have clear guidelines in place to report cyber bullying. Social media platforms can help you in having the offensive post removed. To report cyber bullying in India, you can send your complaint to complaint-mwcd@gov.in. Immediately register a complaint with the police in case your child is receiving sexual or physical threats, or you sense an illegitimate activity or crime underway.

Support...

Recovering from the trauma of cyber bullying can be time-taking and hard. In such cases, the victim needs support and guidance. It could come from parents, peers, family members or teachers. If required, seek the help of a professional counselor.

Wish you all to be safe from bullying /Cyberbullying...

Sajal Singh (BJMC-2sem)

HIMCOM