What You Can Do About It The best way to handle cyberbullying is to prevent it from ever occurring. Educating potential victims and creating awareness campaigns can help to stop the process. Ensuring that both schools and parents are involved with internet use as a whole may also help to prevent it from occurring. Teaching kids to keep their information safe while online is another way to prevent cyberbullying.

If it does occur, it is essential that it be addressed immediately. While it may not be a case for law enforcement, getting the Internet Service Provider (ISP) and/or host site involved is probably a good idea. Keep in mind that every cyberbully attack is different, so helping the victim to clearly communicate the type of threat, the frequency of messages, the potential sources, and the nature of the threat will help to ensure that proper action is taken.

In some cases, law enforcement must be involved. Contact members of the police department if a threat of physical violence is present, if the material involved is obscene, or if physical harassment is taking place as a result of the cyberbullying. At times, civil prosecution may be an option as well. Should the victim’s rights be infringed on during the bullying, it is a good idea to contact an attorney.

Potential victims must know how to respond to a cyberbully should they encounter one while online. In case of an incident, the victim should:

Ignore the emails, messages, or postings that use harmful language. Not forward bullying messages to others. Ignore emails, messages, and postings from known bullies. What was once confined to the school yard has expanded into cyberspace, and these days, cyberbullies are causing more than just hurt feelings. Studies suggest that more than 42% of kids have been bullied while online. With serious results in many cyberbullying cases, including suicide, it is a concept that definitely deserves the attention of computer users on a worldwide basis.Block the addresses of known bullies. Show the messages to trusted adults including parents, teachers, or counselors.

An increasingly serious problem in today’s technology based world, cyberbullying must be addressed on an ongoing basis.

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