9 Things You Can Do If You Are Being Cyber Bullied

The internet is outraged over a chat group that objectifies minor girls. The Delhi-based chat group, #boislockerroom shared images of girls, mostly minor, and purportedly made derogatory comments about their bodies. This has shed spotlight on not only how we as a society normalise toxic masculinity, rape culture and go on to blame the victim.

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A post shared by Rachit(RAJA) (@rachit8901) on May 3, 2020 at 9:14am PDT

This incident has also shed light on cyber bullying in India.

According to the Constitution of India, Cyber Bullying is a criminal offense. This means that any aggressive, intentional act of harassing someone on social media or via emails and SMS is punishable in the eyes of law.

If you are a victim of cyberbullying, here are a few immediate measures you can take to tackle this criminal offense:

1. Report the account/ group on the social media platform, immediately.

The firsts step should be to block and report your cyberbully on the particular social media platform, ASAP and request your friends to block the account too.

2. You can conveniently launch an official complaint against your cyberbully on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

There is a specific column where you can report cyber crimes related to children and women. If you don’t want to give out your personal details, you can file a complaint anonymously on this portal.

3. In case you’re unsure about the procedure of officially reporting the account or need any form of guidance, contact the National Cyber Crime’s helpline number.

Their helpline number is active from 9 am to 6 p.m.

You can also reach out to them through Twitter.

Do not trust online users unless you know and trust them in real life. Also do not share your personal information such as address, phone number, date of birth etc. on social media. Identity thieves can easily access and misuse this information.
— Cyber Dost (@CyberDost) February 3, 2020

4. Inform your friends and family about the incident and keep them in the loop.

Cyberbullying is tough and you might think that your parents will blame you for being too active on social media, but know that they will understand the graveness of the situation if you give them a chance. Share the load and inform your friends and family about what you’re going through.

6. Save the evidence, record the date, time, and description of the incidents in the form of screenshots.

The easiest way to save the evidence for record and future use is to take screenshots of the incidents where you’re being cyberbullied. This comes in handy when you have to officially report cyberbullying.

7. There is nothing wrong in seeking professional help to overcome your trauma.

Being a victim of cyberbullying can take a toll on your mental health. Please know that there is nothing wrong with seeking professional counseling and guidance to process your traumatic experience.

8. Don’t shut yourself out or bottle up your emotions, talk about it.

Remember that cyberbullying is a criminal offense and no one has the right to victim-shame you. If you can, muster up the courage to talk about your experience. It might help and guide a lot of other people who are going through the same thing. You’re not alone.