Parents: Online Trolls & Bullies, 10 Tips On Combating Them

Online trolls and bullies are people who post mean messages on the internet, and it can be challenging for teens to know how to respond to them.

Parents, this is a great article to share with your teen(s). These ten tips may help you and your teen in preventing online bullying from happening on their social media pages!

10 Tips for Combatting Online Trolls and Bullying:

• Don’t feed the online trolls! You can ignore bullies, block them on social media, or stop following them. They will have less power over you if you do not give attention to them.
• Report online trolls bullying on your social media platform of choice. If something terrible is happening to you online (cyberbullying), report it! Social media companies are taking cyberbullying very seriously these days.
• Block specific users. Block your bullies and allow new people to follow you who align with your energy allowing people who want to follow you will be able to. Blocking people on social media will make sure that they don’t see what you post. It’s essential to ensure that not too much personal information is on social media, so you don’t have to block people.

• If you are being bullied, talk with a parent or trusted adult. When you are being bullied, it is good to have an adult in your corner. They can tell you what to do next. It is best to use your privacy settings so people can’t see private things like pictures or comments unless they follow you. This way, people will not be able to see your personal and private information!
• Try creating a different username on social media pages, if possible. If you are being bullied online or blocked by someone, you can use a different username preventing online trolls and bullies from knowing it is you.
• Make an anonymous account on certain websites/apps. Some people find it hard to talk about their interests and ideas with others. It can be hard to find out who people are online because people may not know who they are. Some people might not want the person they are talking to know who they are or like. You can avoid this by letting them do what they want online without revealing your identity, and you can do this too! Be careful when you talk on the internet, and don’t reveal anything about yourself that you don’t want to share or feel uncomfortable sharing. This is important for young adults because if their identity is linked to everything, it will be hard for them to explore things online safely and privately.

• Find friends that will help you if someone is bullying you. Don’t let yourself feel lonely. Find people who are like you. Search on social media for groups with people talking about the same things as you or interested in the same things as you. They can also help report bullies if you are feeling attacked and harassed.
• Take a break from social networking sites/apps. Every once in a while, just because it’s fun doesn’t mean it’s healthy either! Make sure you’re using the internet responsibly by taking breaks between uses–this way, online content isn’t all-consuming of how you spend your time which could lead down dangerous paths such as cyberbullying!
• Spread positivity online. If you see someone hurting themselves or getting hurt on the internet, tell them that they are loved and cared about. They shouldn’t be doing these things because life is too short to get stuck in negativity! Let them know some so many people care for them no matter what their situation may be. This way, you can help change the culture around social media by spreading positive messages instead of negative ones, which could lead down dark paths such as cyberbullying!

• Be aware of what you post online. Make sure that everything on social media is okay to share with the world! Don’t say mean things about people, don’t bully them yourself. Make sure not to hurt anyone’s feelings or get a bad reputation for yourself online because it can follow you throughout your adult life–even if someone deletes their profiles from the Internet.

In conclusion, online trolls and bullies can be harmful. It is best to protect yourself by using the internet responsibly. Remember, you can talk with an adult, keep your social media private, and make a different account for anonymity purposes if needed.

These recommendations may effectively combat online trolls and bullies; however, it’s a start in the right direction.

You can get help at StopBullying.gov.

Photo by Samson Katt from Pexels
Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels
Photo by Meruyert Gonullu from Pexels

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