Cyber Bullying – A Preventable Menace

During these unprecedented times when increased digital useis inevitable by students as they are home bound, stressed out and even bored, concurrent increase in cases of cyberbullying is alarming. Although cyber bullying has been around for a long time but in past one year, it has increased drastically and is even being used by some children as an opportunity to create some fun and excitement in their otherwise dull daily life. 

If anyoneisfacing harassment, offensive name calling, intimidating, taunting, demeaning or rumors,then first of all- please realize that you are a victim of cyber bullying and you need not tolerate it and you can stop it by taking up a stand. 

• How to react to cyber bullying – 
  1. No reaction is the best reaction. Do not reply to any comment or post.
  2. Block or mute cyberbullies.
  3. Keep an offline record of bullying including chat screenshots, email printouts, even the fake names, etc.
  4. Do not suffer alone. Share it withyour parents and teachers or any trusted adult. 
  5. Spend less time on the internet. Find other ways to have fun in real world.
• How to prevent Cyber bullying -
  1. Don’t forward any type of bullying messages.
  2. Don’t share personal information of any kind.
  3. Never share your passwords with anyone.
  4. Never post or text anything that you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with others.
  5. Don’t post anythingwhen you are angryor upset. You may regret it later. Treat people the way you’d want to be treated.

Mind your cyber activity. Click and post less pictures and videos. Click less on unknown links, free downloads, suspicious sites, posts that offer you huge discounts, images and posts that are not useful. All these can be potential traps. Act smart and keep safe. Keep yourself updated with latest news about cyber safety by following - #staysafeonline, #cybersafeIndia, #cyberdost, #onlinesafety, #cybersecurity, #rakshittandon on social media platforms.