Here are some useful ways in which you as a friend or family member can help if someone you care for is affected by online bullying or harassment.
Support the victim
• Encourage them to open up to you, and make it clear they can talk to you without fear of judgement. Try to listen more than you speak.
• Give encouragement that they are important and valuable, despite how the harassment makes them feel.
• Remind them they have done nothing to deserve this abuse, and that the perpetrators are wrong to be treating them this way.
• Work with them to find a solution.
• Take a sympathetic, but calm tone; don’t let them react aggressively towards the harasser.
• Help them collect and save evidence of the harassment.
• Plan things to do together that will allow the person to spend less time online experiencing the harassment.
• Support them in telling a family member or relevant professionals, such as your university’s student services, a qualified counsellor or the police.
• Don’t forget to ask them what they think they need – victims of online harassment often feel powerless, so it is important to empower them to choose which kind of support they receive.
