Bullying on the web

Today, adolescents meet on the internet to spend time in the same way as their peers did in the old days by gathering at the market place or shopping centre. Photo galleries, discussion boards, online chats, blogs, instant messengers and online games are examples of popular meeting places on the internet. On the one hand, the internet provides an opportunity to create significant relationships and gain important experience. But on the other hand, it is easy to hurt and harm other users online. The anonymity and facelessness of the internet may entice people to inappropriate and thoughtless communications. At times, emotions heat up and lead to hurting others. All grown-ups do not necessarily have personal experience from the social nature of using the internet. An adolescent may have to face bullying on the web on his or her own.

Bullying on the web is bullying

Bullying is real when it is systematic, and when behaviour with intentional purpose of hurting another is repeatedly targeted at one and the same person.

Bullying on the web deviates very little from bullying at school. The internet is a medium for human activities, so nearly all forms of school bullying are present on the internet, too. Web bullying is often a start or continuation to school bullying and the bully is often an old acquaintance, for example an ex-best friend.

However, there are some differences between web and school bullying:
• On the web and mobile phone, the bully can use a pseudonym.
• The bully may be much smaller or younger than the bullied one.
• Nobody supervises text messages or instant messenger discussions. There are no parents present either.
• A light joke on the web can run out of control when the audience is so large.
• It is difficult to completely remove a photo or text shared on the internet.
• Sometimes the bullied one cannot escape from the bullies. You cannot completely turn off your mobile phone.
• On the other hand, it is easier to cut out the unwanted persons from the discussion or otherwise select the people you want to be in touch with.

Although web bullying is not physically painful, the assaults feel just as bad on the web as face-to-face. On the other hand, the bully may not realize that he or she is bullying, because the web does not reveal the other party's expressions or emotional reactions.

Who is behind a pseudonym?

The web is dangerous for the bully, because a small mischief may easily get carried away. A mean thing whispered at school may easily translate into a libel if published on public media. The ease of using the internet and freedom of communications may easily create an image that anything is possible and permitted on the web.

It often seems like it is easy to bully on the internet. The bully may think that he or she can never get caught. In nearly every case, it is easy to recognize an online bully. At the latest when the service maintainer and the police become involved. It pays off for the bullied one to save the evidence of the bullying.

Do not tolerate web bullying!

How to deal with bullying:
• Support the adolescent: Thank him or her for telling you about it.
• It does not usually pay off to reply to bullying messages.
• Teach the adolescent to save the messages for further action. The print screen (Prt Sc) button on the keyboard captures the current view on the screen.
• Ask the adolescent to use the security features of the social network services. Many services allow the user to reject the bully's comments. Examples of security services are lists of friends, blacklists, and restricting access to one's information and photos.
• Normally, web bullying leaves a trace, so it is easy to track the bullies.
• The threshold of crime is often crossed in web bullying. Do not hesitate to contact the police if this is the case.
• Discuss with the adolescent how similar situations could be avoided in the future.

Updated 17.02.2009