Say no to cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is the act of abusing people through digital devices. This can happen in a number of ways, e.g., through text messages, email, via social media, or other online platforms. It includes teasing, sending threats, posting rumours, and calling someone else names. In most instances, it is done in order to embarrass and hurt the victim. 

According to the Cybersmile Foundation, "60% of internet users have witnessed or been targeted with bullying, harassment or abuse."

Cyberbullying can lead victims into depression, a drop in confidence, induce anxiety, and it can also bring about feelings of self-harm and suicide. 

The Digital Wellbeing 2022 survey in which 1 000 participants aged 16-24 across the UK took part, found that 46% of the respondents indicated that social media makes them want to permanently change a part of their body through surgery. 51% of respondents also mentioned that their sleep is negatively impacted by the amount of time they spend online.

Report cyberbullying when you see it and call out those who harass others on online platforms.  

How to protect yourself from cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is very prevalent on social media, on online forums, as well as other messaging and online chatting platforms. 

According to the Cybersmile Foundation, the most common type of online harassment is comments, followed by spreading rumours, as well as sharing sexual remarks. 

When you receive online hate, you can try to protect yourself in the following ways: 

Block and report – Normalise reporting and blocking online hate from cyberbullies. 
Don't retaliate – In some instances, people are cyberbullied by people they know, either anonymously or directly. Do not respond to cyberbullies by doing the same thing they are doing to you. 

Go to the authorities – Report any serious threats made to you to the police and law enforcement officers if you are in immediate danger. Make sure you keep screenshots and other proof of the harmful content that is being said about you. 

Tell someone – Remember, you can always speak to someone regarding your issues. You can also contact mental health helplines. The Student Counselling and Development (SCD) office is also there to assist UFS students on the following contacts: 0800 00 63 63 (24/7 toll free).

Keep your online community small – Make your pages private and only allow those in your close circle to have access to comment on your personal social media pages. 

Take a break – The Digital Wellbeing 2022 study among UK youth revealed that 32% of respondents feel addicted to bad news online. Take an online hiatus from certain apps and digital platforms every now and then. Sometimes a person is triggered by things posted by others, which can affect their mental health. 

Practise being kind to others on social media. Remember, it is real people behind keyboards and computer and cellphones screens, and they have feelings. No one likes a cyberbully, so do not be one to others. A saying often used on Twitter is, ‘it's just Twitter’. Some people can easily use this as an excuse to continuously harass users. 

During the Digital Wellbeing 2022 study involving 1 000 participants aged 16-24 across the UK, 86% of respondents said social media use makes them feel anxious.
Here are a few things you need to consider:

Be respectful – Never let banter turn into cyberbullying. The negative and mean things that are said about others can affect them mentally. Show respect to one another on social media and refrain from offensive trolling, as this can affect emotionally on the receiving end. 

Maintain your reputation – Whatever you post online can have long-lasting repercussions. Once you press send on something, it is out there permanently. Harmful posts sent to others can damage your reputation. Most information communicated digitally is permanent and public, if not reported and removed. A negative online reputation – including those who bully – can affect tertiary admissions, future employment, and other areas of life. 

Cyberbullying can present itself in various ways. Sometimes the victims will not notice they are being picked on, because the information or messages they receive come across as jokes or banter. 89% of participants in the Digital Wellbeing 2022 study in the UK specified that social media negatively affects their mental health.

Some notable online abuse methods include:   

Doxing – Doxing or outing is when someone threatens to share personal information publicly without the victim’s consent. This may include pictures, screenshots of texts, video content, or other information being distributed about the victim online. 

Trolling – Trolling is the act of provoking and insulting someone on social media in order to get a response. Trolls usually go on online platforms and look for arguments without any provocation. It is not always negative however, as sometimes friends can ‘troll’ each other on social media in the form of light-hearted humour. But be sure to notice when someone is cyberbullying you for a reaction. 

Masquerading – This type of cyberbullying is when a person creates a fake account in order to anonymously abuse someone online. In most instances, cyberbullies do this on social media platforms. They also use fake profile images, and the accounts can sometimes be created using fake emails. 

Cyberstalking – This form of cyberbullying sees the victims persistently being sent messages and texts, often threatening messages or messages to let you know that you are being watched. This is a serious form of harassment and sometimes it doesn’t only happen anonymously, sometimes it is someone that the victim is aware of. It is important to inform law enforcement officers when you are being cyberstalked, as it may lead to a physical confrontation by the perpetrator.

According to the Cybersmile Foundation 60% of internet users have witnessed or been the target of bullying, harassment, or abuse.

Cyberbullying affects victims’ mental health and can lead to depression and suicidal behaviour. The University of the Free State wishes to take a stand with cyberbullying victims by going dark across our social media platforms for the next 96 hours.

During this period, we will not be posting anything on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn in protest against online hate. We will also change our profile pictures to black images as we go dark. We urge YOU to do the same. It’s your responsibility to help promote a safe online space.

It is worth noting that we will still be responding to inbox enquiries on our social media platforms during our cyberbullying protest.