What does cyberbullying look like?
Cyberbullying can occur in many ways, including:
- abusive texts and emails
- hurtful messages, images or videos
- imitating others online
- excluding others online
- humiliating others online
- nasty online gossip and chat.
I am being cyberbullied—how do I stop it?
- talk to someone you trust straight away—like a parent, sibling, uncle/aunt, teacher or friend, or contact Kids Helpline
- don’t retaliate or respond—they might use it against you
- block the bully and change your privacy settings
- report the abuse to the service and get others to as well
- collect the evidence—keep mobile phone messages, take screen shots and print emails or social networking conversations
- do something you enjoy—catch-up with friends, listen to good music, watch a good show or chat online to people you can trust
- remember you didn’t ask for this—nobody deserves to be bullied and you will get through this.
School support
Most schools have policies in place to address cyberbullying and should be able to provide support to you and other students, no matter whether the bullying is from a student at your school or not. Talk to a teacher or counsellor you like and trust.