Charity shares advice on dealing with cyberbullying

Anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label has published advice for youngsters on how to deal with cyberbullying.

The charity defines cyberbullying as 'the use of digital technologies with an intent to offend, humiliate, threaten, harass or abuse somebody'.

Seven in 10 youngsters have experienced cyberbullying of some kind, according to research.

A report published today has revealed three in five young people aged 13-25 have received abusive messages via social networking apps on their smartphones - and most never report that abuse.

Ditch the Label has also expressed concern over the number of youngsters who have sent compromising images of themselves to others, which in some instances are shared without their permission.

The charity has compiled the following advice on how to deal with cyberbullying:

• Assess how serious the messages are before deciding what action to take.

• Screenshot messages you consider to be cyberbullying and keep a record of what you have been sent.

• Never respond or retaliate.

• Block the offender(s) on social networking sites and report them to the website's administrators.

• Report the offender(s) to police or someone else in authority - for instance, a teacher.

• Confide in a relative, friend or trusted adult.

• Keep your social media privacy settings high.

• Consider requesting that a teacher or responsible adult hosts a mediation session between you and the person who is bullying you online, if you know them.

• Remember that the person bullying you could be going through a difficult time and might need support too.

For more advice and support, visit Ditch the Label's page on dealing with cyberbullying.