Bullying occurs at every age. Especially when bullying occurs in small ages and teens it will remain throughout life. Bullying is considered aggressive behavior to dominate others who are weaker than you. In a study, it is shown that about 37% of teens have been bullied online on social media.
And about 30% have claimed it is not their first time. Bullying has increased in large numbers due to an increased rate of communication media. The popularity of social media such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and online games like Fortnite and platforms like Discord, has increased bullying online. Communication between unknown people has increased the rate of bullying.
Why Do People Bully
1. Emotional Instability:
Everyone has certain reasons for bullying others. But it doesn’t mean that if you are sad, you should bully others. Emotional Instability occurs in every person. Especially teens are more prone to it because of their changing moods, emotional trauma, anger, unhappiness, parent’s problems, and many more.
The more a person feels sad the more chances of them being a bully.
2. To feel powerful:
Teens love to be the center of attraction. Due to this, they love to do activities like bullying to grab others attention. They feel activities like bullying makes them powerful.
3. Peer Pressure:
People’s influence is one of the positive and negative aspects. Negative aspects like bullying may be due to peer pressure. The pressure of not losing their friends and not disappointing them leads to bullying.
4. Free Time:
When people have too much free time. Instead of doing constructive work, they tend to bully people online. Cyberbullying is easier to do. Due to the rise in social media, online bullying has increased.
5. People Perspective:
Humans have the possibility of changing the world. Everyone is different. People have different views, perspectives and opinions regarding things. This leads to people having less perspective on bullying.
What does Bullying look Like?
Many teens may not be sure what bullying looks like. They may be bullied but may not know about it. They may feel unwanted and have a hard time coping up with negative and harsh comments. Kids should know about cybersecurity in order to tackle cyberbullying. As bullying is different, let’s know what bullying looks like:
Isolation: When everyone in your school has peers but you are alone and isolated then it is one form of bullying.
Name Calling: When people start to call you different names which are not good to listen to then this is also bullying.
Rumors: If you have heard unwanted rumors and lie about yourself then this is also bullying. The people who tend to bully others often spread misleading lies and rumors.
Physical harassment: Often if bullying is big, physical harassment occurs. Physical harassment includes touching you physically inappropriately without your permission.
Do you know?
A study shows that 49.8% of teens experience bullying at school while 14.5% of teens experience bullying online.
Teens Being Bullied on Social Media | Teen Bullying
The social media craze has brought many positive and negative aspects. The advance in technology and usage of social media has increased the number of bullying. In the past bullying was only possible in school, colleges and workplaces. But now due to technology development, it has become easier and faster.
Instagram:
Instagram has become a source of connecting people. People connect by following each other. Posting pictures, direct messaging, and commenting are Instagram main attributes. But for people who tend to bully, it has become easier. People direct message using vulgar words, threaten others by showing inappropriate contents even tries to show lower your character
Commenting useless and inappropriate comments in public, trying to embarrass and humiliate others has become easier.
Facebook:
A large percentage of people use Facebook. It has become easier to become friends through mutual relationships. Bullying such as image alteration of an individual, posting inappropriate videos and pictures of bullying, sharing of information to threaten others, making separate pages for hating and shaming others.
Twitter:
Twitter is all about tweeting messages, opinions and sharing pictures. When people’s opinions don’t match with each other’s. It often leads to online abuse such as bullying, insulting, harmful and shameful comments. It goes too far when people cannot stop their arguments.
WhatsApp:
WhatsApp is a calling and messaging app where many teens can get bullied. Sharing audio, video, photos are a popular way of bullying. Threatening people have become easier due to the sharing of pictures, videos, and private messages. Screenshots have paved the way to provide proof and threaten others.
Group Chat has also increased bullying. People tend to share information with each other through group messaging.
Snapchat:
You may think about how Snapchat is used for bullying. As everyone knows Snapchat is all about clicking pictures and sharing it with friends. But Snapchat has a feature that the picture that you send to others disappears automatically. As well as your chat might disappear as soon as you see it or for certain time limits.
But you are not completely protected. You can take screenshots of the pictures and text through your mobile phones. This has created blackmailing, abusing and threatening people.
Ways to report if teens are bullied in Social Media:
1. Facebook/Instagram:
Both Facebook and Instagram try to tackle bullying. But you can use the following ways to tackle bullies:
Facebook and Instagram:
- First Ignore messages and unfollow them.
- You can block the person by going to their profile. Click on the small three-dotted icon where you can see options of the block and report profile.
- If there is any inappropriate content that you do not want to see. There is a small three-dotted icon in the top right then click that icon. Then you report such contents.
2. Twitter:
Twitter is aggressive when your opinion doesn’t agree with each other. Steps to stop and report bullying by:
- Similar to Facebook, Instagram can block and unfollow them.
- You can use mute to remove their tweets from your Twitter.
- To report inappropriate content on Twitter. Select the tweet then click on the report. Specify the reason.
- If someone is bothering you then you can report them and also specify the reason. This helps them be unable to contact you.
3. YouTube:
Sharing of video, uploading inappropriate contents happens on YouTube every time But YouTube has come out with lots of ways to remove those contents:
- You can flag content that may seem inappropriate to you.
- You can also report the video by going to the three-line dotted icon at the top of the content.
- Similarly, you can report a playlist, thumbnail, link, comment, channel and a live chat message as well.
YouTube reviews all the content that is reported carefully. Then, It removes, restricts and permanently deletes the videos.
4. WhatsApp:
What Can You do If You are Bullied in WhatsApp?
First, WhatsApp is a messaging app. Different unknown people can contact you by adding your mobile number. Ways to remove bullying in WhatsApp by:
- You can block and delete the contact.
- Go to the chat with the content, block a contact, and click on block or report. This helps to block the contact or report the contact.
- You can block the contact through the number also.
5. Snapchat
If people take screenshots of your pictures or text you will be notified. You can confront them to delete the picture. But if the bullying occurs further then
- Go to the chat screen.
- Click a Friend’s name or hold it.
- Tap more and remove them
- Similarly, you can block them too.
- If they have sent inappropriate content then click on the report.
Ways to Control Bullying:
Bullying occurs both in school, workplaces, and online. Things to do if teens are being bullied online on social media are:
1. Changing your privacy setting:
Maintaining a private life helps you develop peace. It doesn’t give you unnecessary troubles, abuses, bullies. Try to maintain a strict privacy setting in all your social media. Do not add people who you do not know about. Only keep your close and mutual contacts. If someone tries to communicate and sent you inappropriate content ignore them or block them
2. Block and Report:
As we said above there are settings of block and reporting. This helps to block numbers, contacts, email and remove all their accounts so that they cannot bother you anymore.
3. Limit Your Personal Information:
Never share your personal information on the web. Name, address, and phone numbers, email should always be private. Sometimes the social media asks for information so that someone doesn’t hack your account. Keep the information but assign the information to only me. This doesn’t show your information publicly and only you will be able to see it.
4. Saving Your Proof:
If you are getting harassed then take a screenshot. These screenshots may help you in reporting the person on social media or you can complain to the police. If it is serious then take it to the police faster.
5. Don’t remain silent:
If someone is getting bullied in front of you don’t remain silent. Keeping silent is like taking part in Bullying. Report it to the police or if bullying occurs online to report it to social media. Don’t be silent because next time you may be the one who might get bullied.
6. Share with an adult:
If you are going through a hard phase then please try to share it with adults. They have more experience and know what to do about it. They know what is right to do. Never keep it with yourself and share it with adults. Don’t be afraid to tell because it is not your fault that you are getting bullied.
7. Look out for your Teens:
Parents must look out for them. They must be sure whether they are getting bullied, harassed. They must try to be updated with their teens. Ask them frequently about what is happening with them, try to contact the school and colleges to make sure that they are doing well, try to check their social media daily.
Conclusion:
Bullying has created many negative impacts on people life. It affects mentally and psychologically. This remains throughout life. But often more serious damages occur. Due to bullying, some serious problems such as Suicide are possible. Mental disorders, psychological disorders, personality problems have to be taken seriously otherwise it will create a long-term problem.
Don’t be a bully and don’t take part in bullying. Let’s think for a while and be sure that you have never bullied anyone. Don’t take it as fun as someone whose life may be totally destroyed. If bullying occurs don’t remain silent. If teens are being bullied on social media, do the following things:
- Block and Report the contacts.
- Take proof and share it with the police.
- Take adult advice.
- Make your account private.
- Don’t share your information with anyone.
