Help prevent cyberbullying
You have the power to keep yourself safe online, and to help stop cyberbullying when it happens to others.
- Use your privacy settings. Find out how to keep your content as private as possible on the sites you use. Check these privacy settings often, because they can change.
- You may feel pressure to share photos, selfies or other details about yourself. Maybe a boyfriend, girlfriend, or even friends are pressuring you to do it. Before you send an image of yourself, stop and think whether it's something you'd want everyone to see. In the wrong hands, any photo could be used in a way you never intended.
- Think before you post anything online.
- Keep personal online identifying details about yourself, such as your address, date of birth, phone number, school, credit card number, etc. private. And keep your passwords to yourself, too.
- Log out of online accounts when not using them. Saving passwords in form fields within web sites or your web browser, and staying logged on when you walk away from your computer or cell phone can present an opportunity for someone to pretend they're you online.
- Talk to your friends about cyberbullying. Support those who've been targeted, and if you know anyone who cyberbullies, tell them to stop it.
- Search your own name in every major search engine frequently, including in an image search. If any personal information or photo comes up that might be used by online haters, try to have it removed.
- If you see negative comments toward someone else online, refuse to participate, and take a stand. Cyberbullying continues when others either play along, or do nothing. So surprise them by offering support to the person they're targeting, and speaking out against the hate online. You might be surprised by how many people want to join you.
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