Stopping a cyber bully is not easy. In fact, a cyber bully can make surfing the web, connecting with friends and doing your homework miserable activities. Cyber bullying, like other kinds of bullying, involves a lot of negativity and confidence bashing. Often crude, lewd, abusive and inappropriate language is used. While no one wants to deal with a cyber bully, they’re out there. If you encounter one, here are three ways to stop a cyber bully:
1. Stand up for yourself by threatening legal action. While there are not as many laws in place to protect you from cyber bullies as ought to be, that doesn’t mean you have to put up with it. If the bullying is severe, and you can’t seem to shake the bully, go to the police and speak with someone in the cyber crime unit if your police department has one, or any officer if they don’t. They can help you know what your rights are. Even if you have little legal recourse available to you, that doesn’t mean you can’t threaten it anyway. Pushing back is one of the best things anyone can do when being bullied. Most bullies chose targets they see as weak, because they do not want a real fight; they just want to believe they’re superior to someone else and make someone feel bad about themselves because it makes them feel better about themselves. In reality most cyber bullies have very low self-esteem which is why they bully online. If you start to fight back and show you are not afraid of, or affected by, them there is a good chance they will go away. However, if it comes down to it, you’ll have to follow through with any threats you make.
2. Get support. You do not have to deal with a cyber bully alone. Talk to your parents about what’s going on. Record the bullying in writing and by saving chats, e-mails and posts so that you have indisputable proof in writing, should you need to take legal action later. Get support from a friend or parent so that you do not become the cyber bully’s victim. If they are attacking your vulnerabilities, find someone to help bolster you and remind you of your worth, beauty and importance. Usually it is hard for the person being bullied to make wise choices about stopping the bullying because their emotions are so closely tied to the situation, so getting support from someone else is a great way to help you overcome the bullying and get it to stop. The fastest way to get it to stop is to identify the bully. Most cyber bullies are successful because of the anonymity the internet offers. Ask questions and see if you can’t uncover the cyber bully’s identity.
3. Block the bully in order to protect yourself from them. The bully can’t bully you if they do not have access to you. You can restrict the access others have to you on just about every social site and chatting tool. You can also block specific e-mail addresses in your email or messaging communication on the web. You can make your information private and allow only people who you know and like to contact you. If you do not want to be bothered by a cyber bully, set all of your accounts to private, so only people you choose can see you. If someone doesn’t have access to you, they are powerless and when they are powerless, they move on.
