You may have already heard of "harassment," perhaps you've said it, read it, seen it, or experienced it. This word can provoke anxiety. It can also bring back difficult memories.

Indeed, we spend a lot of time online, and cyberbullying is increasingly victimizing people. At any age, we can be confronted with different forms of cyberbullying. It is therefore important to recognize the signs, in order to act and fight against online harassment.

Cyberbullying is repeated and progressive violence that can take various forms: verbal, physical, moral, or sexual. Through digital means, it can occur everywhere, be anonymous, spread quickly, and infiltrate into the private and family sphere.

On social networks, forums, and messaging services (SMS, WhatsApp, TikTok, Snapchat), cyberbullying is characterized by aggressions, insults, mockery, threats, and rumors, but also by the publication of photographs, hacking of accounts, or the impersonation of the victim's digital identity. Moreover, published content can leave digital traces and continue to harm the victim, even after the harassment has stopped.

Victims of harassment can be adults, but often they are teenagers. These are very vulnerable. The consequences of cyberbullying can be dramatic: depression, dropping out of school or work, psychological or emotional disorders, violence, suicide...

Moreover, the main cause of cyberbullying is related to the anonymity that the use of the internet allows to maintain. Indeed, it becomes easier to insult and harass an individual when hiding behind a screen. In most cases, the harasser has no idea of the severity of their actions, especially since they do not always meet their victim, making it impossible for them to perceive the inflicted pain.

Now that you know more about the subject, you may wonder how to fight against cyberbullying. First, it's important to talk to someone you trust, without feeling ashamed and understanding that it can happen to anyone. Next, it is important not to play into the harasser's hands by responding to their messages, so as not to encourage them to continue. Thus, you should keep and record everything they send you, because in the event of a complaint to the police, it will serve as evidence.

In general, all adults are responsible for prevention and dealing with cyberbullying. In most cases, parents are the first adults to offer help and advice on internet safety, followed by teachers.

It's important to protect yourself from cyberbullying as follows:

• Check the privacy settings of your accounts.

• Only fill in your profile with the minimum necessary information.

• Control your circles of acquaintances.

• Be careful who you talk to.

• Control your posts.

• Be vigilant when sharing personal, intimate, or sensitive information.