Cyberbullying — What It Is and What to Do

Have you ever felt that twist in your stomach when someone is mean to you in a game or a chat? It feels awful. The good news is that you never have to handle it alone. In fact, research shows that kids who have even one person stand up for them feel better much faster. You have the power to get help and to be that person for someone else.

Being mean online is not okay. But when it happens over and over, on purpose, it has a special name: cyberbullying. Think of it like this: if someone pushes you once on the playground, it's mean. If they wait for you every single day to push you, that's bullying. Cyberbullying is the same, but it uses phones, tablets, or computers.It can feel worse than in-person bullying because it can follow you anywhere, even into your own room. But you need to know two very important things:It is never your fault. You did not do anything to deserve it.You do not have to go through it by yourself. Adults have tools to help that you might not know about.Telling a grown-up isn't being a "tattletale." It's getting help when you need it, just like you would if you fell and scraped your knee.

Amara, who is 9, loved posting her drawings in an online art group. But one person started leaving mean comments on everything she posted. "Your art is ugly," they wrote. "You should just quit." Soon, Amara felt too sad to even pick up her pencils. Her older brother, Diego, noticed she wasn't drawing anymore. Amara showed him the comments. Diego didn't get mad at her. Instead, he said, "Let's fix this." He helped her take screenshots of the mean messages. Then, they used the 'report' button to tell the group's grown-up leaders and blocked the user so they couldn't comment anymore. The next day, the bully's account was gone. Amara realized that asking for help didn't make her weak; it made the problem go away.