Help for Victims of Cyber-Bullying
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Tragic Stories of Cyberbullying/Internet Predators
- Dr. Phil : Cyber Bullies
- The Surviving Parents Coalition: Member Bios: Mary Kozakiewicz
Mother of Alicia Kozakiewicz, who was abducted by an internet predator in 2002.
What is Cyberbullying?
"Cyberbullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others." -Bill Belsey (cyberbullying.org)
Bullying in the 2000's affects victims worse than bullying did back before internet, texting and social sites. When I was bullied at school, the bullying stopped at 2:45pm when it was time to go home. By 3:15pm I was safe and sound in my home and didn't have to deal with it until Monday. When I finally wrote a note to my teacher about the bullying, it stopped completely. Schools do not have authority to act on non-school bullying and Facebook will take its sweet time pulling the users off if they do at all. It's a no-win as far as getting help from the authorities.
Children (and some adults) now-a-days are victims 24/7 through the internet, texting and social sites. Victims cannot get away from their bullies unless the victim shuts herself off from the world-- no texting, no Facebook and no Twitter.
Unfortunately, the internet world can be a scary place. If you are bullied and do not want to cut off your techological communications there are people and hotlines to help.
Stop, Block and Tell
Parry suggests to victims that once you encounter a cyberbully, here is what to do:
STOP typing. Stand up a physically move away from your computer.
BLOCK the person
TELL a trusted adult, immediately
Record of this Information is helpful to law enforcement
TO REMOVE A HARMFUL WEBSITE
First contact the Social Networking Site or Network Provider (texting). If you don't receive a timely response don't wait! Do screen prints, save texts, copy down the URL's and screen names and contact the CYBER TIPLINE.
You can also contact cyberbullying specialist, Parry Aftab, Esq. Aftab is a lawyer and advocate for anti-cyberbullying. In one televised interview, a cyberbully victim recounted that Ms. Aftab was able to pull down a bully site in 15 minutes from the parents' call.
Parry Aftab is also the founder of anti-cyberbullying campaign group called Teen Angels. Lead by Aftab, this group of former cyberbullying victims speak out to children and teens about how to protect themselves from cyberbullying and how to handle a cyberbully.
Parry's Other Sites on Cyberbullying:
Cyber 911 Wired Safety
Parry's Guide To Cyberbullying
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More information on how to STOP cyberbullying: StopCyberbullying.org
Have You Been A Victim of Cyberbullying?
See results without votingHave you ever bullied someone online?
See results without votingCYBER TIPLINE For The Really Scary Stuff
To make an anonymous tip to The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, go to their CYBER TIPLINE
According to the NCMEC, "The Congressionally-mandated CyberTipline is a means for reporting crimes against children including:
- Possession, manufacture, and distribution of child pornography
- Online enticement of children for sexual acts
- Child prostitution
- Sex Tourism Involving Children
- Extrafamilial Child Sexual Molestation
- Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child
- Misleading Domain Names
- Misleading Words or Digital Images on the Internet
Reports may be made 24-hours a day, 7 days a week online at www.cybertipline.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. "
HELP AROUND THE WORLD
As always, your local police can direct you to whom you need to speak with to rectify a cyberbully situation. In the U.S, Cyberbully cases have gone all the way up to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S.'s top law enforcement acency. (Specific contacts in each country were not available)
Australia: Bullying, No Way!
Canada: ----Safe Canada.ca----Cyberbullying.ca----
United Kingdom: Wired Safety
These were the only countries that I could find cyberbully information from...I will keep looking though! TBC...
Norton Family Online-SpyWare
Using a "spy tool" for home computers connected to the internet is a MUST these days. Although social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook have implemented "keep children safe" tools on their sites, the internet is NOT a safe place, yet.
Use an online service and/or software to help monitor your children's online activites. Keep in mind, cyberbullies and predators are aware of this technology and can thwart your attempts to keep your children safe online.
The BEST way to prevent cyberbullying is to have open communication with you children about which sites they like to visit. If you do not have luck there, you will need to manually check the history and do your "homework" on your child's online activities. By coupling the legwork with the internet spyware you will be able to successfully protect your child from cyberbullies and predators.
A free online service to help monitor online activities.
Set up your FREE account here: Norton Family Online
Here is information on software for tracing IP addresses (To find out where the harasser is) Network Tracer
On a Side Note, How Ridiculous!
A Cyberbully student sues her high school Principal for "freedom of speech" infringment. Article.
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This is vital information and this Hub should be recommended and spread by all of us. I'll post it on my FaceBook page and Twitter later today and add a link to it in my blogs within the next few days.
We now need one with similar information for UK parents - and any other country really, with contact phone numbers and details.
Thank you Teresa, and Iphigenia...I am on it! These editions are on the way
It is very important for parents to keep an eye on there kids online behavior but at the same time they shouldn't be too intrusive too. It is a delicate balancing act raising teenagers :D
This just doesn't happen the children and teens but adults too. Great information! Thanks for the Hub!
I am going to send this to all I know ,really useful and informative hub.
Lady, I would be very interested to hear cases of adult cyberbullying. I hadn't thought about adults being victims too, but it totally makes sense. Adults will have even more of a backlash from untrue information posted (Employers, Clients, Church etc...) Great point!
Look in the Hubbers Hangout. There are two threads about Cyberbullying and Stalking.
Thank you Lady Guinevere
Great and informative piece, thank you. It's sad to know that these things are so prevalent. But if they tread on me I have enough media and other connections that they would wish they never owned a computer.
Again thanks for the terrific Hub
Thanks Sandman. Yes, sometimes I wish one of these bullies would try this on me... they would never bully anyone else after that. It is so unfortunate that these victims are mostly young, impressionable teens who do know how to stop it. Hopefully they find this hub and see how to stop it.
I am an adult victim of cyberbullying I believe BY A LAWYER!!
She imagined something I posted on a forum to be of detriment to her friend and posted a negative remark on my Facebook profile page. Mind you, this woman is an attorney and is 40 years old. She never contacted me about the post. She just ranted and ranted on the post on FB and at the forum. It has been a nightmare for me. She then deleted me as a friend on FB. I never got the opportunity to tell my side or defend my actions. She just tore into me with:
"Hi XXXXXX. I just wanted you to know how disappointed I was when I read the thread you started at www.debateandrelate.com.
You took my good friend’s private, painful problem, posted it in a public forum, and then proceeded to mock her, calling her crazy, making crude sexual comments and jokes.
Yes, you removed her name. But it did not take a mental titan to instantly realize to whom you were referring. Frankly, I was appalled.
What you did may not have violated any rules at that particular website. And doing such things may have been entertaining to you. But what you did was immoral, cruel, and completely classless. Frankly, you should be ashamed. You owe my friend an apology. There is absolutely NO excuse for your conduct.
I am telling you this on your wall because at this point, I don’t believe you deserve the courtesy of privacy. For what it is worth, I think you should use more discretion on the internet in future. Do onto others. . ."
I can longer be at the forum or on facebook for I feel so violated.
Nonames: Thank you for sharing your story. I am absolutely shocked that a grown woman would take such offense to an anonymous comment you may/or may not have made within a forum. Her choice to defame you on your FB page is inexcusable. She said herself that you were not using names in the forum. Bottom line, if the lawyer did not want anyone to pass judgement on her friend, she should have kept the information private like her friend undoubtedly wanted her to. I would be very interested to know if the lawyer's friend found the post and realized the lawyer aired her dirty laundry. This seems like a classic case of projection. The lawyer feels embarrased and ashamed so now she wants to make it YOUR problem.
I just wanted to say my piece on this. It would be great if you made print-outs of everything and contacted a lawyer (different one of course)about a defamation suit. She has embarrased you on your very own Facebook page where you probably have many friends, family and networks set up through there. Your personal identity has been tarnished not just to you, but to your Facebook contacts. I hope she doesn't think she can get away with this.
Best of luck!
This is a really great hub and I really like how you have put it together. I feel it is important to raise the awareness of these issues in order to educate more people to there existence.
Cyberbullying can be devastating to children and adults. It is heartbreaking to hear of people that have taken their own lives over this. Thank you again for your contribution Andromeda10, it is good to see.
Hi, I'm an 18 year old girl who has been being cyber bullied for about a 1/2 year now. I'm curious if there is anything I could possibly do. My school called the police for me, but they say since it's over facebook or out of school mostly, they can't help. As I said, it's been going on for a 1/2 year now and I never once have responded or EVER posted/said a thing about this girl. She simply hates me and tries to make my life living hell since I dated her ex at one point. I still have saved all the posts/statuses but is there any legal way I can make this stop? I've blocked her on facebook and all her friends so they can't contact me the moment is started happening, but it continues. I can't even report it anymore since I removed her. Any ideas?
I am an adult victim of cyberbullying, but I can't seem to find relevant case law, statute or any similar stories of what i'm going through. cyber Harassment or cyberstalking seems to fall more under those involved in the workplace, but mine is going on in the upper education level. I am in law school, and I have been bullied on facebook, behind my back. Publicly humiliated and threats of humiliation have been made e.g. public urination on my property, suggestions that I commit suicide.
To Victim and Adult Victim: Aside from going to a lawyer and spending the money for fees (maybe look for a civil-rights attorney that does pro-bono work -- just an idea) it seems there is little that victims can do about bullying via the internet. I was reading my college handbook and read that harrassment through the college's student emails in grounds for expulsion. Could you possibly link your Facebook emails to your SCHOOL email account? In this case you may be able to get revenge at the very least and hopefully the bully won't do it again. Best of luck!
I am and adult who has been the vitcum of cyberbulling for some five years now. I have been harrassed at work, church, play and by so call friends and co-workers who have know me for years. until old lies started on the web they were my friends and good church members. I have seach the sites for the slanders url and pictures but never found them. Even when they go away, strangers who know of the old site, take my picture by phone and send it around town. Know internet site has been will to help and I can ot find the orginal url, but have been told that the harrassment is there on facebook and youtube.
What can be done if the url is not found.
ben wheeler and brittnay jackson has used the internet to terrorize me alot. here are their e-mail addresses bewheel@live.com and BrittnayJackson10000@yahoo.com They put remarks like I shoud just die.
i was bullied last year in 7th grade i wanted to die.
Teresa McGurk 3 years ago
Great information -- parents should bookmark this one. Thumbs up.