So What Is Cyberbullying Anyway?

Cyberbullying is when a minor (a person under the age of 18) uses internet or cell phone technologies to harass, torment, embarrass, or threaten another minor. It can be anything from passing along private email messages and photos to actual threats of violence. But cyberbullying is a real and serious problem - children have taken their own lives in recent years due to cyberbullying.

Whether it's vicious posts on social media sites, rude comments in chat rooms or sending mean or cruel email messages, they are all considered to be cyberbullying. Often the child doesn't know who sends the mean messages or posts the cruel comments online.

The cyberbully has the advantage of staying in the shadows and keeping their identity hidden, unlike the bully at school who is vocal and very visible. The most important thing a cyberbully victim can do is to not respond to the bully. The child should ignore any attacks from the bully and get their parents or teachers to help.

It's important to understand that if your child is being harassed or bullied, it is not their fault. Let your child know that you are NOT angry with them - no one has the right to bully or harass others, and your child very likely did nothing to warrant the harassment. If your child is being cyberbullied, instruct them to not respond to the message and let you know immediately. Do a printscreen to save the threatening message and then block the bully or if it is on a cell phone block the number.

Find out more about keeping your kids safe online with the informative tips and free video series from GamesAtGrandmas.com.

About The Author My name is Kristen, and as the mother of three children, I am concerned about keeping my children - and all children - safe on the internet. There are countless wonderful educational and entertaining sites online, but there are also many, many dangerous predators and cyber bullies looking for children to victimize. By teaching internet safety tips to children and their parents, I hope to help prevent children from becoming victims of internet predators. Along the way, they will also learn what to do to stop cyberbullying and how to protect their privacy online. http://GamesAtGrandmas.com.