Chapter One What Is a Cyberbully 4 C h a p t e r o n e W h a t i s a C y b e r b u l l y Technology and the Internet have changed the way people live It is easy to stay in constant contact with our friends and family using e-mail text messages and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter Most kids and teenagers love being able to keep in touch with their school friends after they’ve gone home But technology also makes it so that some kids can never escape the worst part of school bullying When kids bully other kids using technology it is called cyberbullying many kids use tablets and other portable devices to stay in touch with friends over the internet
5 When you think about bullying you might picture one kid physically hurting another kid But bullying does not always involve physical violence Bullies can hurt people by insulting threatening or teasing them They can spread rumors leave people out of activities on purpose or try to embarrass others These nonphys ical forms of bullying can happen face-to-face They can also happen when communicating online or with a cell phone Cyberbullies can hurt people using instant mes saging or e-mails They can post hurtful things about another person on Web sites or blogs for others to read Some cyberbullies even make fake accounts about the person they are bullying on social networking sites Then they post lies or embarrassing information about that person Hurtful rumors can spread very quickly on the Internet mean text messages are just one example of cyberbullying You are so ugly You should not even come to school
6 C h a p t e r o n e W h a t i s a C y b e r b u l l y Cyberbullying usually happens between kids who go to school together rather than between strangers But cyberbullies are not always the same kids who bully people offline Being online can encourage people to do things they wouldn’t do in person People may act differently if they feel anonymous Sometimes they say things online that they would be too afraid or embarrassed to say to another person’s face People under the age of 18 are called minors Cyberbullying always involves two minors if an adult is involved in threatening or hurting kids online it is not called cyberbullying it is called harassment or stalking get help from a trusted adult immediately if this describes a situation you are in Cyberbullying is always between kids who are under age 18
7 Kids who are cyberbullied often feel threatened and alone Being cyberbullied hurts just as much as being bullied in person if not more Targets of cyberbullying may feel like they can never escape the bullying Even when they go home insulting text messages or hurtful e-mails follow The hurtful words are there for them to read again and again Bullying of any sort is wrong So why do some kids cyberbully What can be done to stop it What if it happens to you Read on to find out what you can do to stop cyberbullying Cyberbullying can make kids feel like nobody cares about them
