Cyber bullying is defined as a young person tormenting, threatening, harassing, or embarrassing another young person using the Internet

or other technologies, like cell phones. The psychological and emotional outcomes of cyber bullying are similar to those of real-life bullying. The difference is, real-life bullying often ends when school ends. For cyber bullying, there is no escape. And, its getting worse. Read on to get the facts. 1. Nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online. 1 in 4 has had it happen more than once. 2. 70% of students report seeing frequent bullying online. 3. Over 80% of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most common medium for cyber bullying. 4. 68% of teens agree that cyber bullying is a serious problem. 5. 81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person. 6. 90% of teens who have seen social-media bullying say they have ignored it. 84% have seen others tell cyber bullies to stop. 7. Only 1 in 10 victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of their abuse. 8. Girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying. 9. About 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than 4 out 10 say it has happened more than once. 10. About 75% have visited a website bashing another student. 11. Bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider committing suicide.

INTERNET ETIQUETTE
As use of the Internet expands into every aspect of peoples lives, from emailing pals and coworkers to scheduling job interviews and doctor appointments, many of us have become complacent and tossed proper etiquette aside. This is unfortunate and may create problems if we dont learn a few basic rules. Internet etiquette, also known as Netiquette, is essential in a civilized work environment or personal relationship. The first rule of Internet etiquette is to be nice. Never flame or rant in a pubic forum. Show respect for the opinions of others, even if you dont agree, and refrain from name-calling. Avoid saying anything negative about others. Never say anything negative about your company, your former company, your boss, or your coworkers. You never know what may wind up being forwarded, whether its intentional or an accidental slip of the finger on the send button. If you are unsure of anything youve typed, hold it in draft mode and read it later before releasing the email or post. Being nice includes avoiding cyber bullying. Think about how you would feel if someone said whatever you just typed about you. If you find it the least bit disturbing, delete it. Cyber bullying may lead to disaster if a despondent person perceives he or she is being threatened.

Keep Messages and Posts Brief Most people use the Internet to save time, so honor that and keep all messages as brief as possible. If you have more to say, try breaking it up into smaller topics. This will force you to be more organized and enable the reader to digest the information in a more orderly manner. Dont Shout Avoid using all caps in any email or post. Some people think that keeping the caps lock button on for the entire message will make it easier to read, while it actually does the opposite. It is not only difficult to read, it comes across as shouting, which is rude. Use Discretion Whether you are sending email, instant messaging, commenting on Facebook, or posting a message to your blog, you need to remember that anything you put on the Internet can be there forever. Even if you remove the material, someone may have copied or saved it. One rule of thumb many people use is to never post anything you wouldnt want your parents or boss to see. Protect Personal Information Since anything you post on the Internet is out there for all to see, avoid adding anything personal. This includes your address, phone number, social security number, and drivers license information. You dont want to make things easy for identity thieves, burglars, and predators. Obey Copyright Laws Never copy someone elses work and post it as your own. It is against copyright law because it is considered stealing. It is always a good idea to ask permission before quoting anyone, but that isnt always possible. If you want to quote someone, keep the quote short, cite the source, and put a link to the complete written work. Protect Children If you allow your children to access the Internet, make sure you know what sites they visit and who their friends are. Monitor all their Internet activity very closely. Not only should you protect them from predators, you need to make sure they dont post something that can come back to haunt them when they are seeking admission to college or looking for a job in the future. Before You Click Send It is always a good idea to reread anything you type before clicking the send button. If you have time, step away for a few minutes and come back to it with fresh eyes. If not, at least check your spelling, grammar, and tone of the message. If it is late at night, and you are extremely tired, its probably best to wait until the next morning. You can save most messages and posts in draft mode. Help Others If someone appears to be new to the Internet, offer your assistance. Share information on proper etiquette, send them a link to a list of acronyms and emoticons, and offer to answer any questions until they get the hang of it. If you see that someone has posted something inappropriate, let him or her know privately. Never do anything to publicly embarrass anyone you know online.

Cyberbullying: A victim's tale of lies and the madness of crowds

In the Philippines, where virtually everyone who has an Internet connection is on Facebook, it becomes all too easy to change and even ruin peoples lives without a moments hesitation. Just like millions of other Pinoys, 27-year-old Raymond Malinay is a confessed Facebook fanatic: he spends every free minute online updating his status, sharing his thoughts, and liking his friends posts. He even made his account public to reach more people. But what Raymond considered nothing more than a tool for entertainment eventually turned out to be the medium for his oppression: he became the victim of a very ugly prank.

On July 4, 2012, this edited photo of Raymond Malinay went viral on Facebook. He was accused of having and
spreading HIV. He was later tested negative for the disease. (Photo courtesy of Raymond Malinay)

It was the morning of July 4, 2012, recalls Raymond, when he went on Facebook to check rumors that an anonymous user had accused him of having HIV. That same user even grabbed Raymonds picture from one of his albums, edited it, and put a supposed statement from the AIDS Society of the Philippines saying he was wanted for spreading the deadly disease. I really dont know where the issue came from, I dont have enemies Im not gay, says Raymond. That picture spread really fast; in just two days it got 4,000 shares and reached other countries like India and the USA. Crowd madness: You will burn in hell The worst remark I got was I hope you die, your body will burn in hell, he added. The day he saw the malicious pictures and comments, Raymond did not attend class at his university in Manila, where he studies Mass Communication as a third-year student. I admit I got depressed. Why would that happen to me when I didnt do anything to anyone? I didnt know what to do, it was too much, Raymond says. I was really traumatized. Its hard enough to get criticized by your friends but this is nationwide, youll really get hurt.

Netizens immediately condemned Raymond without any verification of the truth. (Screengrabs courtesy of Raymond Malinay)

Strangers, loved ones show support After seclusion at home, Raymond decided to attend school the next day. Riding the LRT wasnt a breeze, though, since other students who went to colleges in the University belt recognized him. When I entered the LRT, there were a lot who looked at me disdainfully, he says. I knew they whispered to each other, and I knew it was about me. Despite getting cyber bullied, Raymond gathered strength from his friends and family, who backed him up all the way. GMA News was able to talk to his parents, friends, and teachers, and they were unanimous in saying that Raymond is good-natured, hard working, smart, and honest. Despite the multitude of netizens attacking Raymond, he also received consolation from strangers who believed his account of the story. False accusations, a cruel prank Immediately after the pictures came out, Raymond went to a hospital affiliated with the AIDS Society of the Philippines to dispute the allegations and get an HIV test. As expected, the test turned out to be negative. Raymond then had proof that he was merely a victim of a cruel prank. For their part, the AIDS Society of the Philippines issued a disclaimer saying that the organization had nothing to do with the posts.

On July 6, 2012, Raymond Malinay tested negative for HIV. The AIDS Society of the Philippines also categorically stated it had nothing to do with the accusations versus him. (Photo courtesy of Raymond Malinay) M

As you very well know [the] Aids Society of the Philippines has been in existence for 15 years, and its very adherent to promote human rights confidentiality of issues, patient rights especially on the aspects of HIV and AIDS, said the organizations president, Dr. Jose Sescon. We have to be responsible with the message or pictures we have posted there are human rights that needed to be protected," he emphasized. No Anti Cyber-Bullying Law With the upsurge in the number of Facebook users in the country, Buhay party-list Representatives Irwin Tieng and Mariano MichaelVelarde saw it fit to introduce House Bill 6116 or the Anti Cyber-Bullying Act of 2012, an act which would seek to punish hackers and hear cases of bullying on the internet.

Tieng admits, however, that it is difficult to have their bill passed since not many legislators currently share their view on its importance. The lack of an anti-cyber bullying law is precisely the reason why, when Raymond went to Camp Crames Criminal Investigation Detection Group or CIDG back in July, he was told that the agency had no means of tracking the culprit, and that all they could do was to record his statements. A more dangerous kind of bullying According to Pscyhologist Dr. Ali Ng-Gui, cyber bullying is a more dangerous kind of bullying. Your typical bullying happens in school or anywhere outside but it stops when you go home. Cyber bullying on the other hand comes inside your home and takes advantage even of younger children, says Ng-Gui. The first effect [of cyber bullying] is the fear to speak up, anger, humiliation; the person can become anti-social. Ng-Gui says that the best way to address the trauma caused by cyber bullying, is to step out, tell others and surround yourself with people that support you. Think before you click From time to time, Raymond still receives biting feedback from people who believe the damaging pictures and posts, but he has learned to put them all aside. He eventually traced the original post to a certain user named Shine Siy, but he still could not be sure if that person was indeed responsible for the posts. At the moment, he remains hopeful that no one will go through what he had to endure. I just thought of the positive side because I felt more loved and cared for, Raymond says. I learned that even if you have Facebook you dont need to broadcast everything about your life. It is very important to be responsible and as they say, to Think before you click. TJD/HS, GMA News