What You Can Do To Stop Cyberbullying
1. Awareness
There so many things that can be done to stop and prevent cyberbullying. Awareness is always an important aspect to solving a social problem. Awareness allows people to be more conscious about the situation. By being more conscious and aware of cyberbullying in our society, we can then begin to figure out the roots of the social problem and do something to work towards stopping/preventing cyberbullying from happening. We can provide information for adolescents on how to deal with cyberbullying and share stories of cyberbullying that led victims to acts of self harm so everyone, victims and perpetrators, are aware of the effects that cyberbullying has. Overall by being more aware of this social problem and learning more about it, there's more we can do to help end cyberbullying.
2. Adolescents
Adolescents tend to be the main group that is targeted by cyberbullying. Adults can be affected by cyberbullying but adolescents are the main victims when it comes to cyberbullying. According to Stopbullying.gov there are certain steps to take when your being cyberbullied. The first step is to take Immediate action. Its important to take immediate action by telling your parents or a trusted adults once cyberbullying occurs to prevent it from occurring again. Other actions that can be done include ignoring the antagonist. Don't feed into there negativity or respond back because it will just make the problem even worse. Reporting the person is another step that can be taken when experiencing cyberbullying. By reporting the person, they can become blocked on social media sites, disabling the methods used to get the hurtful messages to you. Keep evidence. By keeping screenshots or saved messaged of the cyberbullying incidents, you will have proof to show adults and officials about when the cyberbullying took place. The best thing to do if you are cyberbullied is to go to your parents who will get you the help you need.
3. Parents
As a parent you should be aware and should be constantly monitoring your child online. Make sure your child feels comfortable coming to you if they ever experience a problem online. According to Stopbullying.gov parents should inform their children about the issue of cyberbullying and explain that simple messages aimed at hurting or embarrassing a person can really be harmful. It is important to have a healthy relationship with your children so they have no problems coming to you if they experience anything that makes them feel uncomfortable online. Because cyberbullying is a serious problem, if a child has no one to turn to for help, they can result to self harm. As a parent you always want to be conscious and aware of your child's interaction on social media sites because things can escalate quickly and be harmful to your child.
Laws Against Cyberbullying
In order to combat the recent increase in the cases of cyberbullying, many states have created laws regarding cyberbullying. These laws aim to create ways in which the victims of cyberbullying can receive justice by having the perpetrator punished. While passing laws regarding cyberbullying is a main goal for many lawmakers, it isn't always the easiest thing to do because American citizens have the right to free speech under the First Amendment. Because many people believe that laws aiming to restrict cyberbullying will go against their freedom of speech, states struggle when trying to create such laws. Due to an increase in cyberbullying cases and suicides among young people, many states now are aware of the big problem that is present in our society. It is now obvious that our country needs more stricter laws regarding cyberbullying and some states have stepped up and created such laws.
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 41 states in the US have both laws and policies regarding cyberbullying (United States Government).
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 41 states in the US have both laws and policies regarding cyberbullying (United States Government).
Click on the link below.
http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/
In this link, provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, you can click on the state in which you live in to see the cyberbullying laws and policies that exist.