We all know by now that the age old saying ‘sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me’ is completely untrue. With teen depression and suicide on the rise, and emotional bullying becoming a bigger and bigger problem every day, it seems that words definitely can hurt. Now that most teens have access to smartphones, laptops and other devices, cyberbullying is one of the biggest threats to your teen’s self-confidence and happiness. In fact, cyberbullying is now so common that you need to watch out for it just as intently as you would physical bullying. If your teenager seems anxious, angry or upset after going online, they may be a victim of cyberbullying.
Here are four tips for teens on how to prevent cyberbullying.
Keep your passwords safe
Not all cyberbullying takes the form of bullies sending messages and harassing others online by contacting them in public or private. Cyberbullying can also include bullies logging in to emails or social accounts and impersonating the user. They could post inappropriate photos,
Don’t respond to unwanted messages
Whether the messages are angry, insulting, rude or sexual, don’t respond. Keep a record of the messages and screenshot them if necessary, especially if someone is harassing you, but don’t stoke the fire. If you must say something, keep it to a polite request for them to stop contacting you, and then say no more. Not only will you often regret saying something when you are angry, upset or scared, but you want to avoid egging the bullies on or escalating the situation.
Only post PG-friendly photos
Unfortunately, posting photos that are sexual in nature, very revealing or even overly violent or upsetting is a sure-fire way to attract negative attention. Respect the opinions of others and don’t post a photo of something that you wouldn’t wear or share at a family dinner. The place for controversial discussions or pictures is via private messages, if you wish to avoid attracting nasty comments, arguments or insults
Don’t believe everything you read
Just because that mystery friend request seems to be from another 16-year-old, doesn’t actually mean that it is. And just because they’ve told you that they won’t share those pictures you send them, doesn’t mean they won’t. Always exercise caution and remember, it’s better to be too safe than sorry.
Leave a Reply