We tell you what bullying consists of in order to detect it in time
Amanda Todd was 12 years old when she sent an alleged friend some images of her topless through a webcam. With some screenshots of that video, her guy tried to blackmail her sexually. She did not succeed and he, in revenge, ended up posting the images on the Internet. Those photos, in full view of everyone, caused this Canadian girl to suffer all kinds of harassment outside and, above all, inside the network. Especially from her closest environment. The pressure was terrible. Unbearable. so much that in October 2012 he took his own life. She was only 15 years old.
That of Amanda Todd has been the most mediatic case. The one that has triggered the alarms. But cyberbullying or cyberbullying is as old as the Internet. AND It is nothing more than the transfer to the network of the old school bullying and the primitive bullies. The data is worrying. According to the Youth Institute (Injuve), almost a quarter of Spanish secondary school students (23.5%) between 12 and 16 years old has been insulted at least once or twice via web pages. 7.4% have been the victim of rumors and falsehoods. 6.6% receive insults through social networks at least once a week. And another 6% have found themselves on the Internet with their photos published without permission.
And the worst is that This is not just reduced to the Internet. According to Injuve, 10.5% of adolescents are involved in cyberbullying via instant messaging; 4.6% through chat; 4.3% by telephone messages; 2.8% via email; 2.7% by phone and 1% through photos or videos.
How to avoid it? With some common sense.
For a start, boys have to be very careful with their personal data, such as telephone numbers, addresses and photographs. They need to be vigilant to whom they provide them and where they appear, and be aware that the less they know about you, the safer you are.
Also you have to be careful in chats and in open networks like Twitter, because everything what is said there are clues that cyberbullies can use to obtain personal data. That’s why you always have to use nicknames or aliases.
Also you have to be especially careful with netiquette (Internet manners), because some phrases or emoticonsif they are used with interlocutors from a culture or social reality different from ours, can be misinterpreted. In the event of a misunderstanding, the most sensible thing to do is to clarify it politely.
Responding to a cyberbully is a joy for him. Avoid answering him.
In case of receiving a provocation, you never have to answer and much less in full heat. You have to slow down, put down your computer, tablet or mobile, and calm down before typing again. But responding is a bad solution: it’s usually the greatest joy a cyberbully can get, and that, in most cases, only makes things worse.
When the harassment is insistent, you have to act firmly but with your head. First you have to save everything that can be used as evidence. Then close the connection and ask an adult for help. If the bullying comes to the adolescent from someone in their school environment, it doesn’t hurt to talk to the counselor. And, of course, always with the parents.
the attitude of grown ups It is essential for the minor to be able to report that they are being cyberbullied. For a start, They should give you enough confidence to turn to them in a pinch.. when i do, it is not convenient to react abruptly: pay attention to the severity and frequency of bullying to gauge its magnitude and then support the minor so that he remits his anguish; then it will be time to act. If the threats are physical they must be taken even more seriously, especially if the harasser knows personal data of the harassed. In this case, you have to turn to the police.
And, as in almost everything, the best defense against cyberbullying is prevention. There will always be bullies, but it is good that minors know that these actions should not be accepted, that they can cause real harm and that this is a crime. And he is sorry.
Source: Anaïs Olivera, Salud&Corazón magazine from www.fundaciondelcorazon.com
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