Cyberbullying is a new reality for many families with school-age children. Even in Newburyport, kids are not immune to the hurtful aspects of social media and texting. Here is a helpful article from GirlsHealth.Gov to help navigate this distressing trend:
Cyberbullying is hurting someone else over and over again through the Internet or a cell phone. So, instead of whispering a rumor to a friend, a bully might email the rumor or post it on Facebook for everyone to see! Or, a bully might use technology to ignore you. (An example of this would be a friend ignoring your emails or IMs all of a sudden.)
Cyberbullying happens most often through:
- Web sites (including social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, or Twitter)
- Blogs
- Instant messages (IMs)
- Chat rooms
- Text messaging/texting
- Cell phone photo messages
- Virtual worlds
Many teens today, especially girls, use technology to bully others. Teens may be more likely to cyberbully because they feel protected by the Internet. It’s much easier to type mean words to someone than to say them in person, but that doesn’t make them any less hurtful.
How can you protect yourself from cyberbullying?
Here are some tips that may help protect you from cyberbullying:
- Don’t give out personal information online, whether in instant message profiles, chat rooms, blogs, or on Web sites.
- Don’t tell anyone your email or instant messaging passwords, even your friends.
- If someone sends a mean or threatening message, don’t respond. Save it and show it to a trusted adult.
- If someone is sending mean messages to you through IM or texts, just log off or shut off your phone. You can also ‘block’ certain people from sending you messages on some Web sites. You can’t be bullied if the bully can’t access you!
To read more, please visit: girlshealth.gov
