One of the serious issues facing young people today is bullying. Bullying is a form of unprovoked aggression that is often directed at an another individual or group of individuals with the intent to cause embarrassment or pain. It tends to become more sinister as it continues over time and may be better equated to a form of violence. It used to be that you could escape a school or work bully by simply moving locations at the end of the day, but technology has changed this. Bullying can also take place online, called cyberbullying, via an app or online platform like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok. So instead of being able to escape bullies, they ride in our pockets, come into our homes and follow us wherever we go in our phones or tablets. For many young people, it can seem as if there is no escape.

Although cyberbullying can happen through text and verbal messages, it can also occur in the viewing or sharing of visual content that is either real or manipulated to seem real. And here is where cyberbullying exhibits its real power: We have all seen or heard about digital posts going viral and inflicting significant damage to personal or corporate reputations, regardless of whether the post is true or not. And once released, the damage is done.

The nature of cyberbullying means that it is easy to be the bully and easy to be bullied. Cyberbullying is much more covert than traditional bullying. As a result, victims aren’t obviously spotted and perpetrators can remain anonymous. This is where cyberbullying exhibits its true power: It is often more intense than traditional bullying since bullies are braver as they hide behind the safety of a screen. In addition to this, they are also completely removed from their victim’s reaction, so they seldom can see the vulnerability of their victim and the harmful reality of their behavior. The seriousness of cyberbullying and its long-term mental, emotional and even physical negative impact means that it cannot be ignored.

So what can you do to take steps to prevent bullying from happening, or if it does happen, to get it stopped?

Here are a few tips from Fuller Youth Institute that may be helpful if you know of instances of bullying or suspect that bullying is taking place:

1. First and foremost, the victim of bullying needs to be assured that they are, and will be, safe. Affirm them by listening. Victims say that being heard is the most helpful response. It is also important not to restrict completely their access or prohibit them from using their phone or the Internet. That can feel like a punishment, or like they were somehow responsible—neither of which is the case. Work out a plan for how they will respond if more bullying occurs, and encourage them (don’t demand) to block or remove whoever has been involved from their phone or social media accounts.
2. Next, adults need to respond thoughtfully, not quickly. Investigate thoroughly, and document the evidence. Take screenshots if they have not been taken already.
3. Reach out to the teen’s school and ask to set up an appointment with a principal or counselor to discuss the matter privately and explore solutions. Often students who bully others are doing so as a response to their own problems at home. Teachers and school counselors may know both sides of the situation and are typically the most well-equipped to determine an appropriate intervention.
4. Contact the phone or Internet service or content providers if necessary. Explain the situation in a calm, respectful manner and provide them with whatever evidence you have. Due to some of the very tragic extreme cases that have occurred as a result of bullying, most sites and services have a zero tolerance policy for bullying and will take the matter very seriously.
5. Finally, in situations where a serious threat of harm has been made, or any kind of sexually explicit material has been shared with a minor, the local authorities ought to be notified. Courts have determined that the medium of communication through which a threat is made has no bearing on whether or not it can be considered a “true threat.”

While digital technology has provided a new channel through which bullies can inflict harm on others, it has not created a completely new problem. Bullying has always been a challenge facing kids and parents. But there is good news. Online bullying activities can be captured and recorded when they are posted. So while some bullies might feel emboldened from behind their screens, it is also easier to stop this type of behavior with solid evidence captured from the screens of the victims.