What is cyberbullying?

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What is cyberbullying?

A man looking at a laptop, on the screen is an angry man pointing and shouting

Cyberbullies are people who are nasty or horrible to other people online. 

A person looking at a laptop screen with an anonymous outline on the screen

Sometimes cyberbullies can message you or post from fake profiles.  

Sometimes they pretend to be your friend before saying mean things. 

Cyberbullying can be things like:

A phone with a man hiding his face on the screen, and a red speech bubble with symbols representing swearing next to his mouth.
  • Sending messages or posting comments that hurt someone's feelings
A woman looking sad as two people talk about her behind her back.
  • Telling lies about someone
A man in a suit holding a camera to his face to take a picture
  • Sharing photos or videos to make fun of someone 
A man looking at a social media profile on a laptop
  • Someone pretending to be you online 

You might get hurtful messages in:

A laptop with Email on the screen.
  • emails 
A man looking at a laptop with a messenger program open on the screen
  • Chat rooms or online message boards 
A woman holds up her mobile phone showing a text message
  • Text messages 
A laptop, tablet and mobile phone all showing social media pages
  • Social media like Twitter or Facebook 
Two hands are using a mobile phone to text someone
  • Messaging apps like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp 
An open laptop showing a website home page
  • On websites 

Getting support if you are being cyberbullied

A man holding his hands to his face with a worried expression

If you are getting cyberbullied it can make you feel worried and upset. 

A man and woman are talking

But you should remember it is not your fault and you should not be embarrassed about it.

Talking to someone you trust can help. 

A woman sitting at a desk holding a phone to her ear

If you are being cyberbullied or are worried about someone who is, you can call Mencap’s Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111. 

Ways to help stop a cyberbully

A man holding his hand out in front of him to say stop
  • Do not reply to them
A man at a laptop pressing the keyboard. On the screen is a social media profile with BLOCKED in red letters across it
  • Block and report them
A spiky speech bubble with symbols representing hate speech with a red cross over it
  • Do not say hurtful things back
A man and a woman standing next to each other talking. The woman has her hand on the man's arm
  • Do not ignore the bullying. Talk to someone you know and trust about it. 
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This easy read was created on 16 October 2024.

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