5 Ways to Reduce the Risk of Cyberbullying

By Daniel Rodriguez

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of teachers, school counselors, and administrators, the United States has actually seen a remarkable decrease in the instances of bullying reported at school. From 2009 to 2019, the Institute of Educational Sciences reports that bullying at schools dropped from 28% to 22% among students aged 12 to 18. However, before we celebrate preemptively, it’s important to consider the implications of a troubling rise of cyberbullying via social media, texting, emailing, and other online communications.

What is cyberbullying?

Throughout the continuation of the Covid-19 pandemic, students have been spending more time on their computers, tablets, and mobile devices. As a result, we have unfortunately seen an uptick in cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying can take many forms, but it most frequently includes posting, sharing, or sending hurtful, false, negative, damaging, or mean content about another person or group of people. In some instances, a cyberbully may disclose sensitive or private information, ranging from someone’s physical address to any medical ailments.

Online bullying can result in:

• Harassment: Like in-person bullying, harassment occurs when one or more people go to great lengths to send offensive, abusive, or harmful messages to someone else. This treatment goes beyond a single careless comment or social media post, to the extent that the victim is constantly and intentionally under attack. Over time, this negative online campaign can have a serious impact on a child’s confidence, self-esteem, and mental well-being.
• Cyberstalking: This form of online bullying can be viewed as an escalation of harassment. Messages are no longer simply rude or hurtful, but are directly threatening. The bully may attempt to hack the victim’s account, use technology for blackmail, or even transition to in-person stalking. Cyberstalking should be taken very seriously, as it can lead to a dangerous situation for the victim.
• Social exclusion: Many schoolchildren communicate and collaborate extensively with friends online, whether through text, Twitter, or TikTok. When used responsibly, the internet allows children and young adults to connect and bond through shared interests and goals. However, a cyberbully can ostracize their victim by leaving them out of chat rooms, social media circles, or online events.
• Outing: This form of online bullying occurs when pictures, online messages, or other information about the victim is shared on the internet without consent. Typically, this is done to humiliate, hurt, or shame the victim. Whether the information shared is substantial or trivial, the fact that it is posted without the victim’s knowledge makes it a form of cyberbullying.
• Masquerading: When an internet bully uses masquerading, they pretend to be someone they aren’t in order to safely harass their victim. They may use a legitimate, existing social media account or create a fake identity. Oftentimes, masquerading is a sign that the bully is close to their victim, given that they feel the need to protect themselves from discovery.
• Doxing: “Doxing” (or doxxing) is the act of publishing someone’s private information online, such as a home address, phone number, workplace, or financial status. Doxing is a growing problem driven largely by petty feuds and disagreements. Over 43 million Americans have reportedly been victimized by the unauthorized release of their personal information. Teenagers and young adults are particularly vulnerable to this form of cyberbullying, since they may not be as careful about protecting their information online.

Why online bullying is increasing

Online bullying is on the rise in the United States for a number of key reasons. First and foremost, cyberbullying offers a considerable deal of protection and anonymity. It takes a matter of seconds to create a free email account or fake social media profile, which the bully can then use to harass their victim.

The internet then offers unprecedented access to the cyberbully’s target. Most teens and young adults are active, to some degree, on social media platforms, internet forums, and messaging groups. This allows the bully to reach a peer or fellow student at a moment’s notice, and it can be difficult to avoid anonymous direct messages (DMs), tagged posts, and offensive chat forums.

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As schools across the country continue to negotiate the Covid-19 pandemic, there remains a fine balance between in-person courses and virtual learning. As Covid cases rise in schools, despite the best efforts of local administrations to make classrooms safe for in-person learning, more districts may fall back to virtual learning.

With students already spending more time online than ever before to access their courses, complete assignments, and collaborate on projects, cyberbullying has been increasingly prevalent. L1ght, a platform that monitors online bullying in schools, reports a 70% rise in hateful conduct between teens during online chats.

Even channels of digital communication that were previously thought of as secure have been tested by internet trolls and cyberbullies. Early on in the Covid-19 pandemic, many users of the Zoom video conferencing platform found themselves at the mercy of so-called “Zoom bombers.” This occurs when an individual or group of people join a Zoom session uninvited and share their screens to afflict attendees with distracting, hateful, or disturbing content. Zoom bombing became a concern for educators, event facilitators, and working professionals alike.

5 ways to reduce the risk of cyberbullying

Now that we’ve covered some of the basics of cyberbullying and forms it can take, you’re probably wondering how you can effectively protect your child on the internet. I’ve compiled some suggestions that can reduce the risk of digital bullying.

1. Don’t share personal info online

Make sure that your child understands the importance of protecting sensitive information. They should never share their phone number, personal email, or address with anyone they meet online. Even if an internet personality claims to be a friend or school acquaintance, it’s important for your child to preserve their privacy and online security.

2. Manage location sharing

Some social media apps and smartphones allow uses to “tag” their location in posts or pictures. Teach your children to be mindful about who they are revealing their location to. For example, a photo tagged after a football practice may inadvertently reveal where your child goes to school. Particularly if a teen or young adult has followers that they don’t know well in real life, it may be wise to avoid location-tagged photos or photos.

3. Take advantage of privacy settings

Most digital platforms offer comprehensive privacy settings to suit each user’s comfort level and preferences. Make sure that you understand the options available for mainstream apps such as Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Walk your child through the steps to make their profile private, request permission for other users to share their photos, and prevent people from tagging them in photos without approval.

4. Protect your devices and accounts

Be certain that all your child’s social media accounts and digital devices are protected by strong passwords. Never use the same password for multiple social media platforms or apps, since that increases the risk of all your accounts being compromised in the event of a data leak. Emphasize that it’s never okay to share your password, even with close friends.

5. Always report cyberbullies

Social media apps typically have a reporting feature that allows you to flag content that is rude, inappropriate, or targeted. Explain that it’s important to report hostile posts, pictures, and comments. Once the offending content has been reported, you can block the profile of the cyberbully. While this does not prevent them from creating a new profile or account to continue their harassment campaign, it can buy valuable time for the social media company to investigate.

6. Be a resource for your child

Ensure that your child feels comfortable coming to you, a family member, or another loved one if they’re experiencing cyberbullying. Stay aware of any signs that they are experiencing mental distress and check in if you notice anything out of the ordinary. Warning signs include changes in eating habits, difficulty sleeping, declining grades, self-destructive behaviors, sudden loss of friends, and frequent headaches.

Protecting loved ones from cyberbullying

As an invested parent, you’re one of the first lines of defense against cyberbullying. If you know or suspect that your child is the victim of an online harassment campaign that is putting their health at risk, it’s important to seek help.

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