Skip to main content
  • News
    • MTV News
    • Trending News
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Taylor Swift
    • Kim Kardashian
  • Music
    • Music Highlights
    • Music Videos
    • Charts
    • Playlists
    • EMAs
    • MTV PUSH
    • Artists
  • Shows
    • Latest Shows
    • The Charlotte Show
    • Geordie Shore
    • Ex on the Beach
    • Just Tattoo Of Us
    • Teen Mom UK
    • The Royal World
  • Movies
    • Movies Highlights
    • New Movies Coming Soon
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Trailers
    • Moana
  • Travel
    • Videos
  • Style
  • Life
    • Life
    • MTV Breaks
    • Sex
    • WTF
    • SRS
    • Travel
    • Fitness
    • Generation Change
  • Pictures
  • Win
  • MTV Play
  • TV Guide
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Search
  • Pictures
  • Win
  • MTV Play
  • TV Guide
Home
  • News
    • MTV News
    • Trending News
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Taylor Swift
    • Kim Kardashian
  • Music
    • Music Highlights
    • Music Videos
    • Charts
    • Playlists
    • EMAs
    • MTV PUSH
    • Artists
  • Shows
    • Latest Shows
    • The Charlotte Show
    • Geordie Shore
    • Ex on the Beach
    • Just Tattoo Of Us
    • Teen Mom UK
    • The Royal World
  • Movies
    • Movies Highlights
    • New Movies Coming Soon
    • Videos & Interviews
    • Trailers
    • Moana
  • Travel
    • Videos
  • Style
  • Life
    • Life
    • MTV Breaks
    • Sex
    • WTF
    • SRS
    • Travel
    • Fitness
    • Generation Change
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Search

Life

  • Main
  • Videos
  • Pictures
  • News

Anti-Bullying Week: Internet Trolls And Cyberbullying

They're everywhere, like an internet plague.

Emily Hooley
  • Share to Facebook
  • Tweet to Twitter
  • Share to Google plus
Monday, November 14, 2016 - 13:03

OK so if you’ve watched Harry Potter, you may know what a troll is.

But what is an internet troll? No, it’s not a grisly grunting monster who has a built-in internet connection (though we feel like the concept of the Teletubbies was almost formed along the same lines as this).

No, it’s a real-life person who hides behind a screen, writing mega-b**chy messages to or about others online, for no real reason. It's called cyberbullying - using digital technology to humiliate, threaten, tease or upset someone else - and it’s absolutely everywhere.

We can guarantee that you’ve either been a victim of cyberbullying, or have seen celebs being cyberbullied in the news.

Unfortunately there are now a million ways to bully others online without having a face-to-face confrontation. It means internet trolls can say whatever they want without any repercussions. It's also easier for them to forget that the person they are victimising is an actual, physical human being with feelings to hurt.

A good examples of the horrors of cyberbullying was earlier this year when Leslie Jones was viciously attacked online after the new all-female version of Ghostbusters came out in July. She got a huge flood of hate messages that were both racist and sexist, and you had to see it to believe it. It was SO nasty.

She publically addressed the abuse on Twitter, leaving the site temporarily as a result of being so hurt. She tweeted, “I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart… All this cause I did a movie.”

Thank god for her resilience, because she was back online within a few days, and the Olympics wouldn’t have been the same without her brilliantly hilarious tweets.

Internet trolls work through online intimidation, but what can they actually do? They feel powerful because they can hide behind anonymous user names and fake profiles, BUT being behind a screen can make them powerless too: they can be ignored. They can’t shout in your face, they can’t run after you, they can’t even get to you if you turn off your WiFi.

And reacting to them only validates their abuse. Abuse that is uncalled for, unfair, and wrong.

Cyberbullying doesn’t always occur in the form of unknown internet trolls, however. It can come from people you know who are targeting you online. Cyberbullying can be extremely nasty, and can occur on social media apps that you use every single day like Facebook, Instagram, messaging apps and chat rooms. It can appear in lots of different forms, from direct harassment online, to spreading rumours, to being specifically excluded from group messages.

While it's often impossible to identify internet trolls, being able to identify your cyberbully/cyberbullies has one advantage - it's much easier to report them and put an end to it!

If you are being cyberbullied, there are loads of places you can get information from about what you can do and how to get support. Bullying UK is a great site to start, or equally NSPCC and Childline are great too.

Latest News

Get To Know - M-22
Get To Know: M-22
Get To Know - ENNY
Get To Know: ENNY
Get To Know - James Smith
Get To Know: James Smith
Dua Lipa
2021 BRITs Nominations: Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks, Celeste, BTS & More Up For Awards
Get To Know - Cody Frost
Get To Know: Cody Frost
Get Your Fan Questions In For AJ Tracey!
Get To Know - Sam Fischer
Get To Know: Sam Fischer
Young People Aged 18-24 Are Some Of The Most Affected By Sleep Deprivation In The UK[1]
Get To Know - Master Peace
Get To Know: Master Peace
5 Female Activists Using Their Voice To Fight For Gender Equality
Get To Know - Priya Ragu
Get To Know: Priya Ragu
Get To Know - KIRBY
Get To Know: KIRBY
Get To Know - Boy Pablo
Get To Know: boy pablo
Get To Know - Zoe Wees
Get To Know: Zoe Wees
Get To Know - Joshua Bassett
Get To Know: Joshua Bassett
Nathan Dawe - MTV PUSH UK & IRE 2021
Nathan Dawe Wins MTV PUSH UK & IRE 2021!
Griff - MTV PUSH UK & IRE 2021
Griff Talks “Inspirational” Taylor Swift, Lorde & More
Pa Salieu - MTV PUSH UK & IRE 2021
Pa Salieu Won't Be Defined By Genre: ‘I Can Do Whatever I Want’
Bree Runway - MTV PUSH UK & IRE 2021
Bree Runway: 'Can You Imagine How Crazy I’m About To Go In 2021?'
Inhaler - MTV PUSH UK & IRE 2021
Inhaler: ‘We Were A Really Bad Heavy Metal Band For A While’

More From Life

Life
Young People Aged 18-24 Are Some Of The Most Affected By Sleep Deprivation In The UK[1]
5 Female Activists Using Their Voice To Fight For Gender Equality
How To Look After Your Mental Health In 2021
Generation Change
Life
Generation Change
22 Ways To Look Busy At Work While Doing Absolutely Nothing
The Most Empowering Moments From The Black Lives Matter Protests
Looking After Your Mental Health During The Global Pandemic
Generation Change: Our New Campaign To Support Young Activists
Our New MTV Breaks Podcast Is Here To Help YOU Break Into The Creative Industries
MTV Breaks: How We Help YOU Break Into Creative Industries
Punchdrunk: Sleep No More, Shanghai
Life
Punchdrunk Stans Are The New Arianators And We’re Very Here For It
5 Weird And Wonderful Adventures To Ditch Your Hangover For

Trending Articles

Charli D’Amelio Sets The Record Straight About A Fake “Leaked” Picture Online
21 Types Of People You'll Find In Every Friendship Group
18 Most Naked Of Naked Moments To Have Ever Hit Geordie Shore
10 Things Your Heartbroken Friend Needs To Hear
Celebrity
10 Celebrities Who Have Some Seriously Kinky Sex Likes In The Bedroom
13 Questions You've Always Wanted To Ask A Porn Star
sophie ksai
Sophie Kasaei Opens Up About Joel Corry Split And It's Absolutely Brutal
  • Contact Us
  • Access Services
  • Website Terms
  • Mobile Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • MTV Jobs
  • MTV Press
  • Anti-Slavery
  • Global Tax Policy Statement
Hit us with some keywords!