Cyberbullying: What is it and how to stop it
We brought together UNICEF specialists, international cyberbullying and child protection experts, and teamed up with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and X to answer some of the most common questions about online bullying and give advice on ways to deal with it. What is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital…, The top questions on cyberbullying, Am I being bullied online? How do you tell the difference between a joke and bullying? What are the effects of cyberbullying? How can cyberbullying affect my mental health? Who should I talk to if someone is bullying me online? Why is reporting important? I’m experiencing cyberbullying, but I’m afraid to talk to my parents about it. How can I…, 1. Am I being bullied online? How do you tell the difference between a joke and bullying?, UNICEF: All friends joke around with each other, but sometimes it’s hard to tell if someone is just having fun or trying to hurt you, especially online. Sometimes they’ll laugh it off with a “just kidding,” or “don’t take it so seriously.” But if you feel hurt or think others are laughing at you instead of with you, then the joke has gone too…, 2. What are the effects of cyberbullying?, UNICEF: When bullying happens online it can feel as if you’re being attacked everywhere, even inside your own home. It can seem like there’s no escape. The effects can last a long time and affect a person in many ways: Mentally – feeling upset, embarrassed, stupid, even afraid or angry Emotionally – feeling ashamed or losing interest in the…, 3. How can cyberbullying affect my mental health?, UNICEF: When you experience cyberbullying you might start to feel ashamed, nervous, anxious and insecure about what people say or think about you. This can lead to withdrawing from friends and family, negative thoughts and self-talk, feeling guilty about things you did or did not do, or feeling that you are being judged negatively. Feeling lonely…, Snapchat, Cyberbullying opens the door to 24-hour harassment and can be very damaging. That’s why we offer in-app mental health and well-being support through our feature “ Here For You .” This Snapchat portal provides resources on mental health, grief, bullying, harassment, anxiety, eating disorders, depression, stress, and suicidal thoughts. It was…, TikTok, Cyberbullying has the potential of having a negative impact on people's mental health. It's why it's so important that you reach out to someone you trust – whether it's a parent, teacher, friend or caregiver – and let them know what you're going through so that they can help you. The well-being of our community matters hugely to us, and we…, 4. Who should I talk to if someone is bullying me online? Why is reporting important?, UNICEF: If you think you’re being bullied, the first step is to seek help from someone you trust such as your parents, a close family member or another trusted adult. In your school you can reach out to a counsellor, the sports coach or your favourite teacher – either online or in person. And if you are not comfortable talking to someone you know…, Facebook/Instagram, At Meta, we take bullying and harassment situations seriously. Bullying and harassment is a unique challenge and one of the most complex issues to address because context is critical. We work hard to enforce against this content while also equipping our community with tools to protect themselves in ways that work best for them. If you're…, Snapchat, Bullying is something no one should have to experience, either in person or online. Snapchat’s Community Guidelines clearly and explicitly prohibit bullying, intimidation, and harassment of any kind. We don’t want it on the platform; it’s not in keeping with why Snapchat was created and designed. Learn more here . Letting us know when you…, TikTok, Everyone has the right to feel safe and to be treated with respect and dignity. Bullying and harassment are incompatible with the inclusive environment we aim to foster on TikTok. If you ever feel someone is bullying you or otherwise being inappropriate, reach out to someone you trust - for example, a parent, a teacher or a caregiver – who can…, X, Being the target of bullying online is not easy to deal with. If you are being cyberbullied, the most important thing to do is to ensure you are safe. It’s essential to have someone to talk to about what you are going through. This may be a teacher, another trusted adult, or a parent. Talk to your parents and friends about what to do if you or a…, 5. I’m experiencing cyberbullying, but I’m afraid to talk to my parents about it. How can I approach them?, UNICEF: If you are experiencing cyberbullying, speaking to a trusted adult – someone you feel safe talking to – is one of the most important first steps you can take. Talking to parents isn’t easy for everyone. But there are things you can do to help the conversation. Choose a time to talk when you know you have their full attention. Explain how…, 6. How can I help my friends report a case of cyberbullying especially if they don’t want to do it?, UNICEF: Anyone can become a victim of cyberbullying. If you see this happening to someone you know, try to offer support. It is important to listen to your friend. Why don’t they want to report being cyberbullied? How are they feeling? Let them know that they don’t have to formally report anything, but it’s crucial to talk to someone who might be…, Facebook/Instagram, We know that it can be hard to report bullying, but everyone deserves to feel safe online. If your friend is experiencing cyberbullying, encourage them to talk to a parent, a teacher or an adult they trust. Reporting content or accounts to Facebook or Instagram is anonymous and can help us better keep our platforms safe. Bullying and harassment…, Snapchat, You and your friends may be reluctant to report to a technology platform for any number of reasons, but it’s important to know that reporting on Snapchat is confidential and easy. And remember: You can report Snaps (photos and videos), Chats (messages) and accounts – about your own experiences or on behalf of someone else. In the more public…, TikTok, If you believe another member of the TikTok community is being bullied or harassed, there are ways you can provide support. For example, you can make a confidential report on TikTok so that we take appropriate action and help keep your friend safe. If you know the person, consider checking in with them and encourage them to read our Bullying…, X, If your friends are experiencing cyberbullying, encourage them to talk to a parent, a teacher or an adult they trust. If a friend of yours does not want to report their experience, you can submit a bystander report on their behalf. This can include reports of private information , non -consensual nudity or impersonation. Last updated: January…, 7. How do we stop cyberbullying without giving up access to the Internet?, UNICEF: Being online has so many benefits. However, like many things in life, it comes with risks that you need to protect against. If you experience cyberbullying, you may want to delete certain apps or stay offline for a while to give yourself time to recover. But getting off the Internet is not a long-term solution. You did nothing wrong, so…, Facebook/Instagram, We’re continuously developing new technologies to encourage positive interactions and take action on harmful content, and launching new tools to help people have more control over their experience. Here are some tools you can use: Comment warnings: When someone writes a caption or a comment that our AI detects as potentially offensive or intended…, TikTok, Our priority is to foster a welcoming and safe environment where people feel free to express themselves authentically. Our Community Guidelines make clear that we do not tolerate members of our community being shamed, bullied or harassed. We use a combination of technology and moderation teams to help us identify and remove abusive content or…, X, Since hundreds of millions of people share ideas on X every day, it’s no surprise that we don’t all agree with each other all the time. That’s one of the benefits of a public conversation in that we can all learn from respectful disagreements and discussions. But sometimes, after you’ve listened to someone for a while, you may not want to hear…, 8. How do I prevent my personal information from being used to manipulate or humiliate me on social media?, UNICEF: Think twice before posting or sharing anything on digital platforms – it may be online forever and could be used to harm you later. Don’t give out personal details such as your address, telephone number or the name of your school. Learn about the privacy settings of your favourite social media apps. Here are some actions you can take on…, 9. Is there a punishment for cyberbullying?, UNICEF: Most schools take bullying seriously and will take action against it. If you are being cyberbullied by other students, report it to your school. People who are victims of any form of violence, including bullying and cyberbullying, have a right to justice and to have the offender held accountable. Laws against bullying, particularly on…, Facebook/Instagram, On Facebook, we have a set of Community Standards , and on Instagram, we have Community Guidelines . We take action when we are aware of content that violates these policies, like in the case of bullying or harassment, and we are constantly improving our detection tools so we can find this content faster. Bullying and harassment can happen in…, Snapchat, On Snapchat, reports of cyberbullying are reviewed by Snap’s dedicated Trust & Safety teams, which operate around the clock and around the globe. Individuals found to be involved in cyberbullying may be given a warning, their accounts might be suspended or their accounts could be shut down completely. We recommend leaving any group chat where…, TikTok, Our Community Guidelines define a set of norms and common code of conduct for TikTok and they provide guidance on what is and is not allowed to make a welcoming space for everyone. We make it clear that we do not tolerate members of our community being shamed, bullied or harassed. We take action against any such content and accounts, including…, X, We strongly enforce our rules to ensure all people can participate in the public conversation freely and safely. These rules specifically cover a number of areas including topics such as: Violence Child sexual exploitation Abuse/harassment Hateful conduct Suicide or self-harm Sharing of sensitive media, including graphic violence and adult content…, 10. Technology companies don’t seem to care about online bullying and harassment. Are they being held responsible?, UNICEF: Technology companies are increasingly paying attention to the issue of online bullying. Many of them are introducing ways to address it and better protect their users with new tools, guidance and ways to report online abuse. But it is true that more is needed. Many young people experience cyberbullying every day. Some face extreme forms…, 11. Are there any online anti-bullying tools for children or young people?, UNICEF: Each social platform offers different tools (see available ones below) that allow you to restrict who can comment on or view your posts or who can connect automatically as a friend, and to report cases of bullying. Many of them involve simple steps to block, mute or report cyberbullying. We encourage you to explore them. Social media…, Facebook/Instagram, We have a number of anti-bullying tools across Facebook and Instagram: You can block people, including any existing and new accounts they might create. You can mute an account and that account will not be notified. You can limit unwanted interactions for a period of time by automatically hiding comments and message requests from people who don’t…, Snapchat, We want teens and young adults to be aware of the blocking and removal functions on Snapchat. Clicking on the person’s avatar will bring up a three-dot menu in the upper right-hand corner. Opening that menu offers the option of “Manage Friendship,” which, in turn, offers the ability to Report, Block or Remove the person as a friend. Know that if…, TikTok, Alongside the work that our safety teams do to help keep bullying and harassment off our platform, we provide an extensive range of tools to help you control your TikTok experience. You can find these in full on our Safety Centre . Here are a few highlights: You can restrict who comments on your videos to no one, just friends or everyone (for…, X, We want everybody to be safe on X. We continue to launch and improve tools for people to feel safer, be in control and manage their digital footprint. Here are some safety tools anyone on X can use: Select who can reply to your posts – either everyone, only people you follow or only people you mention Mute – removing an account's posts from your…, To anyone who has ever been bullied online: You are not alone, TikTok stars Charli and Dixie D'Amelio open up about their personal experience of being bullied and share tips on how to make the internet a better place., Reporting abuse and safety resources, Facebook Instagram Kik Snapchat TikTok Tumblr WeChat WhatsApp YouTube X
