You've probably learned to deal with occasional road rage that occurs in rush-hour traffic. Now you must learn to deal with online "road rage" so you can enjoy the benefits of the Internet and avoid or halt its abuses. Throughout this book, I offer many warnings about carefully considering whether you make your contact information, emotions, or personal photos and videos publicly available online. These considerations are a good starting point for thwarting the random cyberbully. If bullies don't know how to find you, it's harder for them to attack online. If they don't have your photo, they can't manipulate it to embarrass you. Think About It Talk to your children about online bullying. Explain to them what it is and how to avoid it, and to talk to you if they receive it. Tell them why they should never bully others, and make clear what the consequences will be for that type of behavior. It's a good idea to keep your home computer out in the open where your children can't easily use it to bully others and you can see if they are receiving harassing messages. Also, talk to them about the messages they might be receiving through their phones or other devices. The next defense against bullying is to report it. Encourage your children to report bullying to you, and then, if necessary, report it to your Internet service provider or cell phone company. You should expect prompt intervention by your provider. If abuse results from an interaction with a business, such as an online auction or classified ad site, notify that business of the abuse. In many cases, they will ban the harasser from their site or chat rooms. In extreme cases, you can report harassment to the police. Often the FBI and Internet service providers work together to gather evidence and enforce laws in online harassment cases. But they can't do a thing if nobody reports the abuse. There are many resources that can help you and your children deal with online bullying. Don't suffer in silence; instead, take action. If you or your child becomes a victim, follow these guidelines:
Many services enable you to block specific users. Check in the help files of the programs you or your child use to see how to do this. If you can't figure out how to block abusers, speak with your service provider directly. Finally, consider changing your e-mail address, cell phone number, user name, or password to avoid future communications. Online harassment is another good reason why you should not provide your contact information broadly and why you should use a separate e-mail or instant messaging account for online dating or socializing. (Most dating services provide you with a "blind" e-mail account for this purpose.) Find Out More Organizations such as WiredSafety (www.wiredsafety.org), Working to Halt Online Abuse (WHOA: www.haltabuse.org), and the Cyberbullying page of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use (http://cyberbully.org), offer advice and are working to get federal legislation against cyberstalking in place. |