Cyber-bullies must be put in their place
Bullying has recently had a facelift. Traditional playground bullying has been replaced by the cyber variety. Many bullies have moved to online chat forums and social networking sites to look for easy targets.
In response to such written abuse, website hosts have begun moderating posts by users. Governments have also set up legal guidelines to deter online criminal activity. These measures do help, but cyber-bullying persists. We can all do our part in fighting cyber bullies.
First, we can put up a form of psychological defence. If someone makes a snide comment about you online, just ignore it. The internet allows people to hide behind a username and post nasty comments they would never have the courage to make in real life. Many cyber-bullies are insecure young people who use the safety of the internet to vent their anger at others. Why would you be insulted by comments made by such people?
If someone keeps bullying you, you can use a website's 'report' function, such as on Facebook, which notifies the host of inappropriate behaviour on their site. Most websites have strict rules for policing users' comments. You can also alert other users of known bullies.
We should not let cyber-bullies get us down. They must be exposed and suffer the consequences of their actions.
