Thuggizzle Cares No Bully Zone

• Teasing
• Name-calling
• Inappropriate sexual comments
• Taunting
• Threatening to cause harm

• Leaving someone out on purpose
• Telling other children not to be friends with someone
• Spreading rumors about someone
• Embarrassing someone in public

• Hitting/kicking/pinching
• Spitting
• Tripping/pushing
• Taking or breaking someone’s things
• Making mean or rude hand gestures

Cyberbullies use digital technology to harass, threaten, or humiliate you. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying doesn’t require face-to-face contact and isn’t limited to just a handful of witnesses at a time. It also doesn’t require physical power or strength in numbers. 

A lot of cyberbullying can be done anonymously, so you may not be sure who is targeting you. This can make you feel even more threatened and can embolden bullies, as they believe online anonymity means they’re less likely to get caught. Since cyberbullies can’t see your reaction, they will often go much further in their harassment or ridicule than they would if they were face-to-face with you.

Cyberbullying can be witnessed by potentially thousands of people. Emails can be forwarded to many, many people while social media posts or website comments can often be seen by anyone. The more far-reaching the bullying, the more humiliating it can become.

No matter how much pain it causes, kids are often reluctant to tell parents or teachers about bullying because they feel a sense of shame from being victimized. In the case of cyberbullying, they may also fear losing their cell phone or computer privileges. Bullies also tend to be adept at hiding their behavior from adults, so if a child is being bullied it may not be obvious to a parent or teacher. Therefore, it’s important to recognize the warning signs of bullying and cyberbullying. 

• Withdraws from family, friends, and activities they previously enjoyed.
• Suffers an unexplained drop in grades.
• Refuses to go to school or to specific classes, or avoids group activities.
• Shows changes in mood, behavior, sleep, appetite, or shows signs of depression or anxiety.
• Avoids discussions or is secretive about cell phone or computer activities.
• Becomes sad, angry, or distressed during or after being online.
• Appears anxious when viewing a text, email, or social media post.

Stay safe with technology by teaching your kids to:

• Refuse to pass along cyberbullying messages.
• Tell their friends to stop cyberbullying.
• Block communication with cyberbullies; delete messages without reading them.
• Never post or share their personal information—or their friends’ personal information—online.
• Never share their Internet passwords with anyone, except you.
• Talk to you about their life online.
• Not put anything online that they wouldn’t want their classmates to see, even in email.
• Not send messages when they’re angry or upset.
• Always be as polite online as they are in person.

 Encourage your child to tell you or another trusted adult if they receive threatening messages or are otherwise targeted by cyberbullies, while reassuring them that doing so will not result in their loss of phone or computer privileges. 

It can be difficult for any parent to learn that their child is bullying others but it’s important to take steps to end the negative behavior before it has serious and long-term consequences for your child. Kids who bully others:

• Have a higher risk of abusing alcohol and drugs.
• Are more likely to get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school.
• Are twice as likely as their peers to have criminal convictions as adults and four times more likely to be multiple offenders.
• Are more likely as adults to be abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses, or children.