What to do if you’re being bullied on a social network
With the increase of social networking sites, online activity and messaging apps, cyberbullying is on the increase. In a survey by Ditch the Label, 47% of youthful people who took the survey have received nasty profile comments and 62% have been sent nasty private messages via smartphone apps. This is very worrying as it shows how cyber bullying is on the increase.
Most of the apps and social networking sites are for people aged thirteen and over. They also state that bullying, abusive behaviours which includes harassment, impersonation and identity theft are banned and not permitted. However, results from our national bullying survey, shows 91% of people who reported cyber bullying said that no activity was taken. This can leave users feeling disbelieved, vulnerable and knock their self-esteem.
A general rule when making a complaint about being bullied online is to copy the terms and conditions which have been breached and take a screenshot of the comment or photo as evidence. This may prompt any of these sites and apps to take activity as you have shown them their obligation to investigate and take suitable activity.
How to report bullying or manhandle on social media
Facebook does not tolerate bullying and say they will liquidate bullying content when they become aware of it and may disable the account of anyone who hellions or attacks another. They have a set of community standards that they adhere to and it states that they will not tolerate:
- Pages that identify and shame private individuals,
- Photos altered to degrade private individuals,
- Photos or movies of physical bullying posted to shame the victim,
- Sharing individual information to blackmail or harass people and
- Repeatedly targeting other people with unwanted friend requests or messages.
You can report bullying on Facebook using the report links which emerge near the content itself, normally on a drop down arrow which gives you menu option to report the picture, post or comment.
If you receive a tweet or reply that you don’t like, you can unfollow that person. If they proceed to contact you, you can block the user (just click on the head icon on their profile and select block user). You may find that as they are incapable to get through to you, they will lose interest. However, if this is not the case and you proceed to receive unwanted replies, manhandle or threats, you can report it here straight to Twitter directly. If you know a friend or family member is being manhandled on Twitter, they have advice pages that can help with step by step help.
YouTube
You have every right to use YouTube without fear of being subjected to bullying or harassment. Bullying can be reported and activity taken when things cross a line. To flag a movie you think is inappropriate (click on the little flag bottom right of the movie) and YouTube will take a look at it to see whether it cracks their terms of use. If it does then they will liquidate it. YouTube rules say you can’t upload movies with hate content, nakedness or graphic violence and if you find one on someone else’s space, click on the movie to flag it as inappropriate. If under comments, you are being bullied, harassed or threats are being made, they have a reporting contraption page where you can report the bullying and they will investigate.
How to report bullying or manhandle on messaging apps
Bullying or manhandle on Instagram can happen in many ways. It can be either negative comments, fake profiles or hacking of accounts. Instagram take all of these violations very earnestly and have slew of advice on their pages if you or someone you know is being bullied or manhandled on Instagram. Their advice primarily is to block and unfollow the person who is being abusive. However, if it resumes or it has gotten worse, you can use their in-app reporting instrument. This page has details on how to report the manhandle directly to them.
Snapchat
Snapchat is an app that permits users to send pictures to each other that vanish off screen within a set amount of time. Unluckily, there is bullying on Snapchat in the form of screenshots, sending pics without permission, negative comments and more. If this is the case for you or someone you know they can block a user, tap the Menu icon, select “My Friends,” locate their name in the list and swipe right across their name. If you would like to delete a friend from your contacts, press “Delete.” Even if you haven’t added the user as a friend, their name will still show up in the “My Friends” list under “Latest” if they have sent you a message recently. If you receive an inappropriate photo or someone’s harassing or bullying you, report it by packing out their online form.
WhatsApp Messenger lets people sends instant messages, movies, photos, and brief audio messages to either one person or within a group talk. Messages can only be sent to other smartphone users who also have WhatsApp. Once you install the app, it checks your address book to see if anyone else you know is already using WhatsApp, and connects you automatically. You have to be over sixteen to use WhatsApp legally. Bullying can take many forms as it is a messaging service and we often hear of abusive group talks. You can block and delete the contact. You can find out more by emailing them at [email protected].
General safety tips
Keep it private
Don’t post anything on a social networking site which gives your real name, address, school, phone number or which will permit a stranger to contact you in real life. Make sure you don’t ID your friends either.
Don’t upload anything that might embarrass you at a later date. You might not realise it but things you post on the internet now could come back to cause problems for you later on, for example when you go for an interview for college or a job. So if you are not blessed for it to be shown to the world then do not hit send. Reminisce once you send it you have lost control of that picture or comment.
If you have a webcam or smartphone never be pressured into taking pictures of yourself that you wouldn’t want other people to see. Trust your gut instinct over this. Once again, once you hit send, you have lost control over that picture and this can cause anxiety and stress.
If you’re using a collective computer at school, in an internet cafe or library then you’ll stay logged on even when you close the browser. So don’t leave behind to log off when you’ve finished the session. Read more tips about staying safe online.
Protecting your tweets
On Twitter you can choose to protect your tweets so that people can only go after you if you approve them very first. You can select this by going into the ‘settings menu’ then ‘security and privacy’ and ticking the box for ‘protect my tweets’. Find out more about the difference on Twitter inbetween public and protected tweets.
Location settings
Many social networks like Facebook and Twitter permit you to post your location or check in each time you tweet or post a status update. This might seem like joy for your friends to know where you are, but it can also mean that people you don’t know will see where you are, especially if you’re tweeting from your mobile on a profile that is public. To turn off the location settings, go into the ‘Settings’ menu, scroll down ‘Security and privacy’ then to ‘Tweet location’ and untick the checkbox that says ‘Add a location to my tweets’. You can also press the button that says ‘Delete all location data’, to clear information about where you’ve been in the past.
Snapchat has developed a fresh feature called Snap Map which can display your location. It is very significant to turn this feature off so you are able to keep safe. Snap Map tracks your current location and places your avatar on a map like a pin. This can permit others to zoom in and find exactly where you are. It doesn’t take effect until you update the app, and it has an opt-out option. If you’re opening the app for the very first time after the update, Snapchat will walk you through a step-by-step tutorial on how to use the Snap Map. Very first, it’ll showcase you how to pinch and zoom in the camera instrument to access the map. Then, it’ll ask who you want to see your location. You get three choices: all your friends, select friends, or only me. Choosing ‘only me’ activates what it calls ‘ghost mode’ meaning you can see others but they can’t see you. To turn off location data altogether, you’ll need to visit your phone’s settings where you can scroll down to Snapchat, click on ‘location’, and choose to never share.
Hashtags
Be wary of using hashtags as that can open up your post to be visible on that particular hashtag thread on any social network or app. It can open up your post and your account to a broader audience than you originally intended.
Inappropriate behaviour
If anyone makes you feel awkward or embarrassed online then please tell your parents or someone that can help. If they’re doing it to you then they might also be doing it to other people. It’s particularly significant never to meet up with anyone you meet online in real life, if anyone suggests that to you and particularly if they suggest you keep it secret that’s a real danger sign. Read more about recognising dangerous websites.
When you go into a social networking site people might treatment you to be a friend but reminisce that no matter how much they tell you about themselves, they are still strangers and they might not be telling you the truth about themselves. There have been cases of adults pretending to be youthful people to talk to them online and attempt and involve you in inappropriate activities. This is called grooming and is a criminal offence. CEOP (The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) investigates cases of lovemaking manhandle and grooming on the internet. Incidents can be reported by clicking the crimson button on the top right forearm corner of the CEOP website.
Albeit the police can get information from your computer’s hard drive, it’s helpful if you don’t delete anything you think is dodgy until the police have determined whether they need it as evidence.
Removing or blocking friends
Facebook – click on their profile, then on the ‘message’ button dropdown and you will see the option to ‘unfriend’. You can also block a person this way.
Twitter – to eliminate or block someone on Twitter, click on the button with a head icon on it next to the ‘Go after’ button on a user’s profile. If you click on this you will see a menu with the options to BLOCK the user to prevent them from witnessing your profile, and vice versa, and you can also REPORT FOR SPAM, which will alert Twitter to any users who are manhandling the service. Read our article about Twitter safety.
YouTube – go to your account page and click on "All Contacts" link in the "Friends and Contacts" section. Choose which person you want to unfriend and the click on "Eliminate Contacts". From then on the person won’t be on your "Share Movie" list.
WhatsApp – You can click on the name and then you will be taken to a dropdown menu and you can then choose to block the person.
Snapchat – to block a user who added you go after the steps below. Tap ‘Added Me’ on the Profile Screen. Then tap their name, and tap the wheel icon next to their name. Press ‘Block’ to prevent them from sending you Snaps, Talks, or from viewing your Stories.
Instagram – when you block someone, they can’t see your profile or posts. People aren’t notified when you block them. To block or unblock someone, tap their username to open their profile and then tap the three dots and press the option to block user.
Closing your account
Facebook – to deactivate your Facebook account go to the "settings" tab on the Account page. That will liquidate your profile and content and nobody will be able to see your details or search for you. But if you determine to reinstate the account later then the entire lot will be restored, including your friends and photos. If you would like to permanently delete your Facebook account, log in to your account, click ‘Privacy and Settings’, ‘See More Settings’ and select ‘Delete my account’. Once you have confirmed your wish to delete your Facebook account it can take up to fourteen days for it to happen.
Twitter – on the settings tab on your profile, you will see ‘deactivate my account’ at the bottom. Click on this to delete your account. You have thirty days to switch your mind otherwise your profile, all of your tweets and data will be permanently deleted.
YouTube – click on "My Account" in the top right forearm corner and under "Account Settings" click on "Delete Account". Give the reason you’re quitting the site and your password and then click "Delete My Account". Log out by clicking the link in the top right palm corner. Your movies will be eliminated from the site instantaneously and the thumbnails will vanish as soon as YouTube is updated. Your profile is liquidated permanently.
WhatsApp – you can eliminate the app from your smartphone either through app management in settings or by going into the settings of WhatsApp.
Snapchat – Open the Snapchat app, login and tap the Settings icon in the upper right corner. Navigate to Support and then Learning the Basics and then click on delete an account.
Instagram – Log into Instagram from a mobile browser or computer. You can’t temporarily disable your account from within the Instagram app. Click your username in the top right and then select Edit Profile. Click temporarily disable my account in the bottom right and go after the on-screen instructions. If you want to delete your account permanently, go to the Delete Your Account page. If you’re not logged into Instagram on the web, you’ll be asked to log in very first. Select an option from the drop-down menu next to Why are you deleting your account? And re-enter your password. The option to permanently delete your account will only show up after you’ve selected a reason from the menu. Click or tap permanently delete my account.
Don’t get into an argument or post offensive material
Don’t get into arguments online, this is called flaming and it can get nasty. If you break the rules of whichever site you’re on then the content is likely to be liquidated and you might have your membership terminated. You’re not permitted to upload anything which is offensive or racist and which promotes physical harm so don’t make threats to anyone. Neither are you permitted to harass people or to encourage other people to harass them. You’re not supposed to ask for private information from anyone under eighteen either so if you are under eighteen and anyone asks you, for example, where you go to school, make sure you report them.
Spreading rumours
Don’t spread rumours or make up false things about a friend you have fallen out with. You are not permitted to upload anything which is menacing, abusive or which is defamatory. It’s defamatory if you say untrue things about someone which give them a bad reputation they don’t deserve. It can also be harassment which is a criminal offence in the UK.
You’re not supposed to upload a picture or movie of anyone without their permission either. So never set up a social networking website account in the names of other people or upload false information about them.