Online Bullying/Threatening/Stalking

Okay, so someone is bullying or threatening you online or joining every message board you join or signing up for the same groups. Does this person know who you are? Do you know the person? If both answers are "no," then take a nice deep breath and realize that this is the Internet and the person isn't going to crawl through your screen.

It's also important to remember that pretty much every website, messenger, and e-mail service has a "block" button. Use it liberally. If there's no block button, just don't respond. Generally, even the worst of people will get tired of harassing, threatening, or stalking someone who's just not responding. Let the administrators of groups you belong to know if someone keeps following you around. Responsible administrators will do what they can to fix the problem.

Now, if you DO know who the person is? Well, that's another story. Is he or she likely to take the bullying, threatening, or stalking behaviors offline? If so, click here to read about offline bullying/harassment and stalking to see if any of the advice relates to your situation.

Alternatively, is a person unknown to you claiming that he or she knows who YOU are? If so, make that person prove it. If the person says, "I have your IP address, so I can find you!" that's a complete falsehood. Your IP address, which is relatively easy to get, only identifies your general geographical location and wouldn't help anyone identify you or your home address. Of course, if the person can actually prove he or she knows who you are, click here to read the section on stalking.

In all honesty, in terms of online bullying, threatening, or stalking, unless the person knows who you are in real life, there's not a lot to worry about. If a stranger claims that he or she can shut down your computer or send you viruses or delete your homework or turn off your fridge, the easiest solution is to ignore or block this person. You also can report profiles that are harassing you to your service provider. Of course, if someone is being particularly persistent or threatening to the point that you feel as though you are in danger, or if the person actually attempts to hack your computer, contact the police. They can work with your service provider to identify the person and stop the behavior.

Now, things not to do if you want to avoid being bullied, threatened, or stalked online? Don't give people your real name, address, home phone number, cellphone number, or school. Don't tell them where you hang out. Don't use the same name on every message board you join or every networking site you're on. Yes, these all seem really obvious, but they're important. Yes, you've already been told this stuff a thousand times, but it's still true.

Still worried or still have a question? Hit up our Contact Us page, tell us what's going on, and see if we have any advice that's related more directly to your situation.