Ever scrolled through the comments and just lost all hope for the human race?
Or have you seen someone share personal, intimate info about their ex, their partner or their mate in some gross way to get back at them?
And then watched as everyone started liking and commenting and taking sides, and it turned into a messy drama dump?
Yeah, this isn’t okay. It’s not funny or trivial or something you should just let slide when you see it.
Online abuse is serious and can be dangerous and illegal.
People say and share all kinds of stuff online that they wouldn’t do in person, when either way, it’s never ok.
So, here are our tips to help you work through all of that and make sure you stay on the right side of the line when you're online.
What shouldn't you do when you see online abuse?
If you get sent something private, a photo, message or gossip about someone, it's not yours to share, no matter how juicy it is.
Forwarding it, screenshotting it, or hyping it up in the comments spreads the damage further.
Respect where someone draws their line, even if you wouldn't draw yours there.
Don't ignore their line
You have your line, and other people have theirs.
You might be cool with sharing images of yourself, but when someone else says they’re not, or they don’t want you sharing an image of them, just don't.
And if someone says they don't want an image of them or something about them online that you’ve already put out there, then take it down... now.
Respect where other people draw their line.
Don't pass it on or hype it up
Even if you didn't start the forwarding of the image, sending it on is still not cool.
It’s spreading and increasing the problem, and inflicting more damage on the person in question.
If it's clearly meant to hurt someone, delete it and let the sender know you're not okay with it.
Be the one who stops the spread, be the righteous roadblocker.
It’s the right thing to do, and people will thank you for it.
What should you do when you see online abuse?
Call out online disrespect and trolling
If you can, call out any trash behaviour you see online.
The person being attacked could likely use a helping hand.
If it feels safe, you can call out the behaviour. You can also report it or message the person targeted to check in.
This is super true if the person being the abuser is someone you know.
Don’t get abusive, even when you’re doing the right thing by calling out crap or abusive behaviour.
Try to keep the conversations cool, calm and relaxed.
Consider messaging the person targeted, too, saying something like, ‘Hey, what they did/said was not okay. Are you alright?’
This isn’t simping, it’s just being a friend.
Take it out of the public eye
If you have something to get off your chest, talk to them directly.
Be respectful and focus on finding a solution.
If you're too angry to do that, then wait until you've cooled down.
If you've already posted harmful stuff online, delete the post straight away, then actually apologise to whoever was affected, not just to look better, but because it matters.
Owning it quickly does more for your relationships than pretending it didn't happen.
You can't fully undo it, but you can limit the damage.
Walk away for a bit
Take a moment to think about the way your actions and words online might impact others.
Empathise with them.
And if you’re commenting or liking someone’s stuff online and they’re telling you to leave them alone or ignoring you over and over, just back off.
Even when you think you're right.
Even when you’re just trying to help.
