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What to do when someone is bullying you on Social Media?

 


Author: Anjali Ravindra More

New Law College, Mumbai University

Table of content

Content                                                                           

What is cyberbullying

Types of cyberbullying

How to avoid cyberbullying

Effects of cyberbullying

Laws for cyberbullying in India

How to report bullying on social media

References  

What to do if someone is bullying you on social media?

With easy access to mobile phones and the internet, social media has become an essential part of everyone's life. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow people to share photo videos and personal events with the world with one click. Unfortunately, the growth of technology has also seen the growth in social media bullying. 


What is cyberbullying? 

Cyberbullying is a type of harassment that is executed by using electronic media. India has the highest number of internet users hence India also experienced the highest number of cybercrime cases. Experts have stated that the ratio of cyber staking faced by men and women is 50:50. Cyberbullying is an extended period, which can be happened continuously. Cyberbullying can happen to anyone on any social networking site or by mode of email, message, and website.


Types of cyberbullying are as follows:

1. cyber staking

Cyberstalking is a crime that is done by using electronic media to stalk someone. Such as email, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. It includes the activities such as monitoring the victims’ activities on social media, tracking the victim's location, and blackmailing the victim. Cyberstalking can be avoided by using a nickname and avoiding posting personal details on social media like photos and phone numbers.

2. Cyber harassment

Cyber harassment is different from cyberstalking. In cyber harassment, the victim is hovered or wearied by emails or instant communications.       

3. Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying includes activities like sending sharing or posting harmful, false, or negative content about others. Cell phones and computers are the devices used to bully a person on social media.

4. identity theft

Identity theft includes activities such as using someone's name, email id, and phone number without consent to commit fraud. Phishing, skimming, and data breaches are forms of identity theft.

5. Revenge porn

Revenge porn is the distribution of intimate pictures on social media without their consent. Most of the time porn material is created by the intimate partner in a relationship with or without the consent of the victim. The victim may have faced sexual violence while recording the material by an intimate partner. The term revenge porn refers to the uploading of sexually explicit material on digital platforms to humiliate a person.

6. Blackmailing

Blackmailing is a method of bullying a person or a group of people by threatening to disclose or share substantively true or false information unless their requirements or specific demands are met. The information is generally dangerous and can only be participated with relatives or associates rather than with the general public.

How to avoid cyberbullying?

1. Do not respond to bullying

Sometimes accused is waiting for a reaction. Responding to the perpetrators will give power to the abused more.

2. Keep evidence

Evidence such as screenshots, voice notes, and messages. Lakh of evidence, Sometimes perpetrators did not get strict punishment for cyberbullying.

3. Talk to the trusting one

A victim needs to come out and share with someone trusted. Sharing with the parent and teachers will reduce mental stress.

4. Never open a message from an unknown person:

Delete all the messages from an unknown person without reading them, these messages can include links and morph images or pornography, this will hack the computer or mobile device and they can access your personal information such as contact numbers, photos, and debit card details.

5. change passwords frequently:

Changing passwords on social media frequently will be saved from hacking the social media accounts and that can prevent further bullying and blackmailing. 

Effects of cyberbullying


1. mentally: Bullying can make the person feel upset, embarrassed, or sometimes afraid and angry.  Victims of cyberbullying can suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental health-related issues. Cyberbullying can steal their happiness. In a survey, 93% of victims of cyberbullying reported sadness, and hopelessness.

2. Physical: cyberbullying can make the victim physically weak which includes loss of sleep or headaches. Kids may suffer from diarrhea or vomiting. Victims can suffer from eating disordered such as changes in eating habits, and skipping meals. Sometimes victims’ sleep patterns also change which can be insomnia or nightmares.

3. Emotionally: Being emotionally weak includes symptoms such as losing interest in the thing you like, avoiding social gatherings, staying alone, not speaking with anyone, or feeling ashamed.

4. Behavioral: victims may be seen with behavioral changes such as they may lose interest in activities they used to like and they may engage in some secretive behavior. Sometimes they start using drugs or alcohol. They may skip school or they are more likely to bring weapons to school.

Laws for cyberbullying in India

In India, cyberbullying does not have specific laws. Section 66A of the information technology Act prescribed the punishment for insulting and annoying comments through digital.

To tackle cyberbullying below laws can be used:

  • Section 67- publishing obscene material.
  • Section 67A- transmitting sexually explicit material through electronic media.
  • Section 509- action insulting the modesty of women.
  • Section 499 of IPC- emailing defamatory messages.
  • Section 292A- printing and advertising indecent matter and intension of Blackmailing.
  • Section 354D- stalking and attempting to make a contact with women.
  • Section 354A- sexual harassment.
  • Section 66E of IT Act- privacy violation
  • Section 507- criminal intimidation.
How to block and report on social media platforms.

Snapchat

  • I need help
  • Select Report a safety concern
  • Saved a snap or conversation on media - click on it contains it bullied me
  • There is a box that says - still need help - Select this option and you will be directed to a form where you can explain more in detail about the incident.

Facebook

  • Click on the menu.
  • Click Settings
  • On the left side of Facebook, click Blocking
  • Click Blocking on the left side menu
  • Find the name of the person to block and click on Block.

Instagram

  • Click on the stoner’s name and go to their profile.
  • Click on the menu icon Tap - generally top right
  • And Click Block 
References

1.https://vikaspedia.in/education/digital-litercy/information-security/being-safe-online-1/cyber-harassment

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