Reporting Cyber Bullying

Sesma Against Bullying

With the increase of social networking sites, online activity and messaging apps, cyberbullying is on the increase.
At least two million British children experience online bullying each year, with more than a quarter of them finding it to be
worse during lockdowns compared to when schools are open, according to research by USwitch.

Reporting Cyber Bullying

Facebook does not tolerate bullying and say they will remove bullying content when they become aware of it and may disable the account of anyone who bullies or attacks another. They have a set of community standards that they adhere to and it states that they will not tolerate bullying in any shape or form.

You can report bullying on Facebook using the report links which appear near the content itself, as 3 dots and will give you an option to hide or report the comment or post. They will investigate and let you know their outcome. You may want to read their help pages on bullying.

Blocking– click on their profile, then on the ‘message’ button dropdown and you will see the option to ‘unfriend’. You can also block a person this way.

Twitter If you receive a tweet or reply that you don’t like, you can unfollow that person. If they continue to contact you, you can block the user (just click on the head icon on their profile and select block user). You may find that as they are unable to get through to you, they will lose interest. However, if this is not the case and you continue to receive unwanted replies, abuse or threats, you can report it here straight to Twitter directly.

On Twitter you can choose to protect your tweets so that people can only follow you if you approve them first. You can select this by going into the ‘settings menu’ then ‘security and privacy’ and ticking the box for ‘protect my tweets’. Find out more about the difference on Twitter between public and protected tweets.

Blocking- click on the button with a head icon on it next to the ‘Follow’ button on a user’s profile. If you click on this you will see a menu with the options to BLOCK the user to prevent them from seeing your profile, and vice versa, and you can also REPORT FOR SPAM, which will alert Twitter to any users who are abusing the service. Read our article about Twitter safety.

Youtube You have every right to use YouTube without fear of being subjected to bullying or harassment. Bullying can be reported and action taken when things cross a line.

To flag a video you think is inappropriate (click on the little flag bottom right of the video) and YouTube will take a look at it to see whether it breaks their terms of use. If it does then they will remove it. YouTube rules say you can’t upload videos with hate content, nudity or graphic violence and if you find one on someone else’s space, click on the video to flag it as inappropriate. If under comments, you are being bullied, harassed or threats are being made, they have a reporting tool page where you can report the bullying and they will investigate.

Blocking- go to your account page and click on “All Contacts” link in the “Friends and Contacts” section. Choose which person you want to unfriend and the click on “Remove Contacts”. From then on the person won’t be on your “Share Video” list.

Instragram Bullying or abuse on Instagram can happen in many ways. It can be either negative comments, fake profiles or hacking of accounts. Instagram take all of these violations very seriously and have plenty of advice on their pages if you or someone you know is being bullied or abused on Instagram. Their advice initially is to block and unfollow the person who is being abusive. However, if it continues or it has gotten worse, you can use their in-app reporting tool. This page has details on how to report the abuse directly to them.

Blocking- when you block someone, they can’t see your profile or posts. People aren’t notified when you block them. To block or unblock someone, tap their username to open their profile and then tap the three dots and press the option to block user.

Snapchat is an app that allows users to send pictures to each other that disappear off screen within a set amount of time. Unfortunately, there is bullying on Snapchat in the form of screenshots, sending pics without permission, negative comments and more. If this is the case for you or someone you know they can block a user, tap the Menu icon, select “My Friends,” locate their name in the list and swipe right across their name. If you would like to delete a friend from your contacts, press “Delete.” Even if you haven’t added the user as a friend, their name will still appear in the “My Friends” list under “Recent” if they have sent you a message recently. If you receive an inappropriate photo or someone’s harassing or bullying you, report it by filling out their online form.

Blocking- Tap ‘Added Me’ on the Profile Screen. Then tap their name, and tap the wheel icon next to their name. Press ‘Block’ to prevent them from sending you Snaps, Chats, or from viewing your Stories.

TikTok is a fun app for many young people. It has increased in popularity and is a platform that allows users to create short videos incorporating music. If you are worried about your child experiencing bullying on TikTok, visit their safety centre first and foremost. If you want to report bullying directly to them, please click here. There are some safety points to consider when using this app. Ensure that all privacy and security settings are checked and are private rather then public. When your profile is private, you have the ability to approve or deny any followers from viewing your content. If comments are made on your video, you have the ability to delete it. If someone is making you feel upset or they are being inappropriate, you can block them too. Ensure as a parent that you have access to your child’s account so that can monitor it fully. Please remember that this app is for those aged 13 and over. if you suspect that someone under this age are using it, you can report this by clicking here.

If you are a parent or guardian, you can use Family Pairing to link your account to your teen’s account. Once you turn it on, you will be able to set controls including screen time, restricted mode, search functions, privacy settings, messages, comments and more.

WhatsApp Messenger lets people sends instant messages, videos, photos, and short audio messages to either one person or within a group chat. Messages can only be sent to other smartphone users who also have WhatsApp. Once you install the app, it checks your address book to see if anyone else you know is already using WhatsApp, and connects you automatically. You have to be over 16 to use WhatsApp legally. Bullying can take many forms as it is a messaging service and we often hear of abusive group chats. You can block and delete the contact. You can find out more by emailing them at support@whatsapp.com.

Blocking- You can click on the name and then you will be taken to a dropdown menu and you can then choose to block the person.

Sesma Against Bullying

Reporting Cyber Bullying

Reporting Cyber Bullying

Ref: Bullying UK