How to Beat Cyberbullies

Summary

Cyberbullying is an insidious form of harassment that can feel more intimidating and pervasive than traditional bullying due to its digital nature. In this Wellcast video, viewers are equipped with a four-step method to combat online bullies effectively. The process begins with ensuring airtight privacy settings online, followed by avoiding any retaliation toward bullies. Blocking the perpetrator is essential, and finally, documenting and reporting the harassment to trusted individuals or authorities is recommended. By following these steps, individuals can better protect themselves from the adverse mental health effects of cyberbullying.

Highlights

• Cyberbullying is compared to grizzly bears – tricky and can follow you everywhere 🐻.
• 40% of cyberbullies bully for fun, as noted by the American Counseling Association 🤯.
• Privacy is the first defense; keep all your online data under lock and key 🔐.
• Retaliating against bullies only gives them power. Silence is stronger ✊.
• Blocking bullies cuts off their communication route, which is empowering ✋.
• Document everything and report it – there's always a digital trail 🚨.

Key Takeaways

• Cyberbullying can feel more intense than traditional bullying due to its relentless digital nature 😟.
• Remember, cyberbullies often act out due to their own issues – it's not about you 🙅‍♂️.
• Ensure your online privacy settings are as secure as possible to prevent easy access 🛡️.
• Avoid responding to bullies; don’t feed the trolls! 🚫.
• Blocking the bully can limit their access and nuisance significantly 💪.
• Always save evidence of bullying and report it to both service providers and trusted authorities 📂.
• Taking these steps can help protect your mental well-being and create a safer online experience 🌐.

Overview

Navigating the treacherous waters of cyberbullying can feel like facing off with a grizzly bear of the digital age. These bullies are persistent and can intrude into our lives where we least expect it – online. Unlike physical bullying, cyberbullying has the devious ability to follow us home, lingering in the corners of our digital spaces.

The experts at Wellcast lay out a strategic four-step plan to deflect these digital bullies. Start by going into full privacy mode – safeguard all your online personal details. When the bullies strike, resist the urge to engage. Much like adding fuel to a fire, retaliating only ignites more aggression from the bully.

Instead, the focus should shift to eradicating the bully’s access. Block them from all platforms, creating a critical barrier. Lastly, always compile evidence of harassment and divulge it to those who can help, be it platform authorities or a confidant. This not only helps in addressing the issue but also in legal rectification if needed.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Cyberbullying The chapter titled 'Introduction to Cyberbullying' begins by referencing the previous discussion about traditional bullying, metaphorically described as 'grizzly bears' that make individuals feel unsafe and uncomfortable. It mentions previously introduced strategies for dealing with these bullies, such as 'playing dead' or 'traveling in packs'. The chapter transitions into the topic of cyberbullying, highlighting its pervasive nature as it can 'follow you' through the virtual world, emphasizing the unique challenges and potentially greater fear associated with cyberbullying compared to traditional forms.
• 00:30 - 01:00: The Impact of Cyberbullying The chapter titled 'The Impact of Cyberbullying' discusses the harmful effects of cyberbullying compared to physical bullying. It emphasizes the difficulty in escaping cyberbullying and highlights a four-step method to combat it, provided by the 'well-cast army'. The chapter references a study from the Journal of Adolescent Health, revealing that victims of cyberbullying are more prone to depression than those who experience traditional bullying. Despite this, the chapter notes that cyberbullies often have limited methods of attack.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Motivation Behind Cyberbullying The strategy behind cyberbullying is explored, differentiating it from traditional bullying which typically involves an imbalance of power. In the digital realm, power dynamics shift as internet access alone can enable one to harass others. A striking statistic from the American Counseling Association indicates that 40% of cyberbullying is driven by the perpetrator's perception of fun. While this realization might provide little solace to victims, understanding this motive can be a starting point for addressing and coping with the harassment.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Understanding the Issue The chapter titled 'Understanding the Issue' delves into the nature of cyberbullying, emphasizing that the bully's behavior is more about their own problems rather than the victim's. It advocates for awareness and avoidance strategies to handle cyberbullying and introduces a four-step method to address such situations. The first step advises on privacy as a preventive measure against cyberbullying.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Step 1: Privacy Settings The chapter focuses on ensuring your privacy and security when using online platforms. It provides the initial advice of reviewing and tightening privacy settings on any platforms where personal information is stored, such as Google searches and Facebook settings. The chapter then briefly introduces a strategy for dealing with online bullying, emphasizing the importance of not responding or retaliating, likening engagement with a bully to pouring water on a grease fire, implying it will only escalate the situation.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Step 2: Don't Respond The chapter provides advice on how to deal with cyber bullying by drawing an analogy to a grease fire on a stove. It emphasizes the importance of not responding to cyber bullies, as this only encourages them. Just as adding water to a grease fire spreads it, retaliating to a bully gives them what they want. Instead, the chapter advises to block the bully, making it impossible for them to contact you, akin to removing fuel from a fire. It suggests methods to prevent or limit the bully's ability to reach you, especially on messaging platforms.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Step 3: Block the Bully The chapter 'Step 3: Block the Bully' outlines strategies to prevent cyberbullying. It suggests configuring settings so that only people on your buddy list can contact you, and considering going invisible or blocking harmful screen names. For phone calls and text messages, screening is recommended, and if needed, temporarily suspending social media accounts.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Step 4: Save and Report Chapter Title: Step 4: Save and Report. The chapter discusses the steps to take when dealing with cyberbullying, emphasizing that while cyberbullying is illegal and banned on most platforms, bullies often overlook the electronic trail they leave behind. Victims are advised to save all threatening messages and share them with a trusted individual, such as a parent, teacher, or friend, to ensure appropriate action is taken.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Recap and Additional Resources This chapter provides a recap of the measures to take if you are being cyberbullied. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining privacy online, blocking the bully, and preserving information related to the bullying. Additionally, it advises informing a trusted person about the situation. For further advice, the chapter references a previous episode on the topic.

How to Beat Cyberbullies Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 hi wellc casters last week we started talking about bullies those grizzly bears that seem to think that they're allowed to make you feel unsafe and uncomfortable we showed you some ways to deal with those Grizzlies from playing dead to traveling in packs but what if the Bears could follow you worming their way through the series of wires that now make up such a huge part of our lives today on well cast we're taking a look at cyber bullying in many ways cyber bullying can be much scarier than
• 00:30 - 01:00 physical bullying and much harder to escape too but that is okay because your well-cast army has returned to back you up we're going to teach you a four-step method for escaping the clutches of cyber Bullies Are You Ready unsurprisingly cyberbullying is extremely detrimental to your health the Journal of adolescent Health found that cyberbullying victims are more likely to become depressed than targets of traditional bullying and cyber bullies don't really have much in the way of
• 01:00 - 01:30 motives either with bullying there's normally an imbalance of power but you don't need to be powerful to harass someone online you just need the internet according to the American Counseling Association 40% of cyber bullies engage in online aggression just for fun okay it doesn't really help to know that someone who's constantly harassing you over Facebook has no reason to do so but you should take comfor conf in the
• 01:30 - 02:00 fact that it does have very little to do with you and everything to do with the bully's own super weird issues you can't fight those issues what you can do is learn how to avoid cyber bullying when possible and extract yourself from the situation when it's too late to avoid it it's time for our four-step method pause and print this well-cast worksheet step one privacy is prevention take a second to go go
• 02:00 - 02:30 through any place you store data about yourself online and make sure the privacy settings are airtight Google your name see what comes up make sure your Facebook settings don't give out your email address or phone number step two when bullied don't respond and don't retaliate this is a ridiculously hard rule to follow because hey you're getting sent awful things and the first thing you want to do is fire back but think of it like this though engaging with a bully is like pouring water on a
• 02:30 - 03:00 grease fire it seems like the obvious thing to do with the time because holy crap my stove top is in Flames but water just spreads the fire and retaliating to a cyber bully just encourages the bully because you're giving him what he wants step three block the bully if possible what's better than ignoring a bully making it impossible for him to contact you that's what try one of the following methods to make it harder for your bully to reach you if you're on a messaging
• 03:00 - 03:30 system set it up so that only contacts on your buddy list can contact you if this doesn't work try going invisible or blocking the individual screen names that you know to be dangerous screen all incoming phone calls and text messages if necessary temporarily suspend your social media Pages step four save the information and tell someone first and foremost report The Bullying to the service provider
• 03:30 - 04:00 because cyberbullying is outlawed on most sites and messenger services cyber bullying is also illegal in Most states though some bullies might think they can get away with a lot simply because nobody knows who they are what they forget is that they're leaving a pretty significant electronic Trail save any threatening correspondence email Facebook phones Etc and show it to somebody you trust this could be a parent teacher or friend
• 04:00 - 04:30 to recap if you're being Cyber Bullied first make sure your online presence is as private as possible don't retaliate but block the bully from communicating with you as much as you can and finally save all information and tell someone you trust about the bullying if you would like more advice on dealing with bullies like why you should never listen to a bully in the first place click back to our last bullying episode
• 04:30 - 05:00 tweet us at watchwellcast email us at watchwellcast gmail.com or leave a comment down below we'll see you next time [Music]