Cyber bullying
Cyber bullying is when somebody uses the internet or mobile
phones to threaten, tease or abuse someone. It is against the law
to bully someone in this way.
If someone has posted something nasty about you on the internet,
the police can help you. It's easy for them to find out who did it
because everything you do on your computer leaves a record.
Read our advice below on how to stay safe.
Text\Video Messaging
- Don't reply to a text message or video message that's nasty or
rude. Tell someone like your parents or an adult you
trust about nasty messages. They can make the messages stop by
telling the phone company (O2, Vodafone etc) about the
problem.
- Be careful who you give your phone number to and don't leave
your mobile lying around when you're not there.
Chatrooms or Instant Messaging (IM)
- Don't reply to a nasty message - ignore them or log off. If you
do receive a nasty message, take time out to calm down and tell an
adult you trust.
- Think about what you write - it is very easy for people to get
the wrong idea and if you send a abusive message back you could get
into trouble.
Email
- If you receive a nasty or rude email, don't reply. If it's from
someone you think you know, like someone at school, they'll want
some kind of reaction, just like they would if they were standing
in front of you and bullying you. Don't give them the satisfaction
of replying, and they'll probably stop.
- Tell your parents, carer, an adult you trust or a teacher at
your school.
- You can delete the emails, but if it’s serious, you should save
them or print them off and tell your parents or an adult you
trust.
Web
- If the Cyberbullying is on a school website or any other
website, do as you would do if the bullying was face to face - tell
someone like your parents or teachers or other adult you
trust.
Have you seen this symbol on the sites you
use?
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection
Centre (CEOP) is where you can find help and advice on
being safe when you are online.
It is there for you. If you need to report anything you see
online, use this button to report it to the Child Exploitation and
Online Protection Centre.
Games
- If you are being bullied while playing a game online, don't
respond, just tell someone like your parent or a teacher.
- Some games allow you to report someone if they are bullying
you, or you can report content if someone has posted something
nasty about you.