Everyone agreed that what the bully was doing was wrong, but to what were the victims entitled? They had some modest medical bills and could be reimbursed for costs associated with their AOL account – but these losses added up to less than $1,000. In that case, the adult victims were being bullied in an AOL chat room. I served as an expert witness in a cyberbullying case in the summer of 2008. Another problem associated with pursuing a bully through civil action is that, even if you are successful and a judge or jury rules in your favor, it can be difficult to determine an appropriate damage amount. I can only imagine how frustrating this is after experiencing emotional and psychological suffering – and then realizing that you can’t afford to get legal help. I have spoken to some victims who have consulted with attorneys who want a significant sum of money to get involved, even at a basic level. The problem with this approach is that it can be costly. A letter sent from an attorney (on law firm letterhead) to the bully may be all that is necessary to get the bullying to stop. If the threats or comments are detrimental to your health, safety, or occupation, you might want to consult with an attorney who specializes in harassment, defamation of character, false light, intentional infliction of emotional distress, or similar types of civil action. In Wisconsin, for example, it is a misdemeanor if someone uses computerized communication systems to “frighten, intimidate, threaten, abuse, or harass another person.” It is also against the law to “harass annoy, or offend another person.” See what the laws in your state are to determine if the police should get involved. We have discussed some of these laws on this blog and have a summary of many applicable laws here. You should also take the time to check your state laws. The evidence that you have collected will help them to evaluate your situation. If they are, the police will formally look into it. They can determine whether any threats made are credible. If you are ever afraid for your safety, you need to contact law enforcement to investigate. If they refuse, you may have to take additional actions. Do not respond to the cyberbully except to calmly tell them to stop. To be sure, some web site administrators are better and quicker at this than others.Īlso, please be careful not to retaliate – or do anything that might be perceived by an outsider to have contributed to the problem. Many web sites expressly prohibit harassment and if you report it through their established mechanisms, the content and/or bully should be removed from the site in a timely manner. Along those same lines, familiarize yourself with the Terms of Use for the various sites you frequent, and the online accounts you sign up for. If you are receiving hurtful or threatening cell phone messages, contact your cell phone company to obtain assistance. For example, if you are being cyberbullied on Facebook, contact them. Second, contact the service or content provider through which the bullying is occurring. If there are ways you can determine who exactly is making the comments, also document that. That said, I thought I would take some time here to give the adults who have been victimized out there some general advice.įirst, it is important to keep all evidence of the bullying: messages, posts, comments, etc. It’s just that we spend the majority of our efforts studying how this problem impacts school-aged youth due to their tenuous developmental stage. We know that cyberbullying negatively affects adults too. We receive more inquiries from adults than teens. These adult victims of cyberbullying stress to us that cyberbullying is not just an adolescent problem. We get a lot of emails, phone calls, and comments on this blog from adults who are being bullied though technology. Learn about different strategies and get help for adult victims of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying affects all age groups, including adults.
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