Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is any form of digital communication designed to hurt someone.
Cyberbullying is using phones, computers, or social media to repeatedly and intentionally harm, harass, or intimidate an individual or group. It includes:
Harassment:
Sending threatening or hurtful messages.
Impersonation:
Pretending to be someone so you can create hurtful, untrue stories.
Exclusion:
Stopping someone from joining online groups and chats etc.
Flaming:
Posting offensive comments to hurt or anger someone.
Doxing:
Sharing personal information about someone, such as their phone number.
Outing:
Revealing embarrassing personal information.
Cyberbullying is never ever okay. It is cruel and can be devastating for the victim. Cyberbullying can also be against the law and those that do it can receive consequences which they will not like.
Cyberbullying is always wrong because it really hurts people. It is also against the rules.
Cyberbullying Victim
A cyberbullying victim is anyone who is sent or sees online hurtful messages or information.
Cyberbullying has many forms such as harassment, impersonation, exclusion, flaming, doxing and outing. All of these are designed to hurt, embarrass and bully someone.
Cyberbullying is never okay and can be against the law. Someone who is being bullied online can get help to make it stop. There are also things they can do to make it harder for the bullies:
Block or mute the bully:
Limit their ability to reach you online.
Report the incidents:
Use the reporting tools available on social media platforms or websites to report cyberbullying.
Keep evidence:
Take screenshots or save messages as evidence of the cyberbullying.
Seek support:
Talk to a trusted adult, friend, or counsellor about what you're going through.
Adjust privacy settings:
Review and adjust your privacy settings on social media platforms to control who can access your information.
No one should be a victim of cyberbullying. It is important to get help quickly and make it stop.
Notes on creating your own personalised social story:
Use the above examples to create your own personalised social story for the child. If you need to modify the language to support younger children ensure that the exact meaning intended remains clear and unambiguous. You may want to add photographs or pictures to illustrate the meaning or provide motivation to use. Alternatively, print out versions of the social stories are available below.
