– It used to be that kids could temporarily escape their bullies on the weekends and school holidays. But with social media, texts and emails, cyberbullying can happen anytime and anywhere. Unlike in-person bullying, name-calling, spreading rumors or sending embarrassing pictures through text messages or social media can reach students in other schools, and in different cities or states.
When bullies use their phones and other digital devices to threaten, embarrass or harass others, it can be challenging for school counselors to intervene.
“But we can take steps to help prevent cyberbullying by educating students on how to report issues of aggression and other negative behavior that happens on social media and gaming platforms,” said Jaspreet Kaur, school counselor coordinator at Learn4Life, a network of 80+ public high schools. “School counselors understand their state’s cyberbullying laws and can help schools create and enforce anti-cyberbullying policies that follow these laws.”
Kaur and Learn4Life offer these tips to prevent and cope with cyberbullying:
Don’t respond to or forward cyberbullying messages. Block the person who is cyberbullying and document the online attacks. Record the dates, times and descriptions, and save and print screenshots, emails and texts. Use this evidence to report cyberbullying to web and cell phone service providers and social media sites.
Schools can help improve students’ social emotional skills. This can be done with programs that promote school-wide social-emotional learning. Kaur said Learn4Life places a huge emphasis on helping teens build resiliency to cope with bullies and develop empathy for others to prevent bullying.
Utilize privacy settings. Understand what measures you can take to keep content private on the websites you use. On most social networking sites, you can adjust your settings so that only the people you select are able to see your personal information and posts. It’s important to check these privacy settings frequently, because sites sometimes change their policies.
Think before you post. Never forget that the internet is public. What you put out there can never be erased. If you wouldn’t say something in a room full of strangers, don’t say it online. Keep personal information personal. Don’t reveal identifying details about yourself like address, phone number, school, credit card number, etc.
Speak out. If a friend is being cyberbullied, don’t stand by and do nothing. Talk to them and seek help from a trusted adult. Your support may be just what the victim needs to overcome the problem. Never go through it in silence or isolate yourself, lean on support at school if needed.
“Schools must ensure they can provide a safe, caring environment so that students can attain the necessary mindsets and behaviors to advance their academic achievement,” Kaur added.