A tree stands because of its root, a house stands because

of its pole and I stand here to deliver a public speech about

Cyber bullying.

Assalammualaikum and a very warm afternoon l greet to the

honourable chairperson, respected panel of judges, all of my
lovely teachers and fellow friends.

It was my experience,

Talking to my friends is the most important thing in my life.

WhatsApp is my favourite app. You can text all the time for
free and even send picture messages that automatically
save to your photo album on your phone. How cool is that?

One day I got a really weird message from a blocked

number. I didn’t even know you could message someone on
WhatsApp anonymously. The cyber bully was telling me that
they were going to get me when I least expected it and that
I’m “in big trouble”. The bully also said that if I told anyone
about the messages my punishment would be even worse
than what’s coming to me.

I was so scared. I didn’t want to tell anyone in case the

cyber bully did something horrible to me. The messages
continued to come but after a week I realized that this
person wasn’t going to do anything to me apart from send
harassing messages.

I showed my older brother and he convinced me to tell our

parents and they reported it to the police. Luckily they
were able to track down the IP address the messages were
coming from. I was so happy when I found out that this
person would never be able to hurt me or send threatening
or abusive messages again. My parents bought me a new
SIM card so I could get a new number. Now I make sure
that only close people have my number and can contact me.
I’ve learned how to protect myself against this happening
again..

Bullying has many faces and it can be more than insults and
mocking in public. When I started receiving anonymous
threats on WhatsApp, I got so scared that I didn’t even
dare tell her parents about it. However, the cyberbullies did
have an identity and in the end, I found out who they were.

In today’s world which has been made smaller by technology,

new age problems have been born. No doubt technology has a
lot of benefits; however, it also comes with a negative side. It
has given birth to cyberbullying. To put it simply,
cyberbullying refers to the misuse of information
technology with the intention to harass others.

Subsequently, cyberbullying comes in various forms. It

doesn’t necessarily mean hacking someone’s profiles or posing
to be someone else. It also includes posting negative
comments about somebody or spreading rumors to defame
someone. As everyone is caught up on the social network, it
makes it very easy for anyone to misuse this access.
In other words, cyberbullying has become very common
nowadays. It includes actions to manipulate, harass and
defame any person. These hostile actions are seriously
damaging and can affect anyone easily and gravely. They take
place on social media, public forums, and other online
information websites. A cyber bully is not necessarily a
stranger; it may also be someone you know.

My respected teachers and friends,

Q.1 Why is Cyberbullying dangerous?

A.1 Cyber bullying affects the mental peace of a person. It

takes a toll on their mental health. Moreover, it tarnishes
the reputation of an individual.

Cyber bullying is a multi-faced issue. However, the intention

of this activity is one and the same. To hurt people and bring
them harm. Cyber bullying is not a light matter. It needs to
be taken seriously as it does have a lot of dangerous effects
on the victim.

Moreover, it disturbs the peace of mind of a person. Many

people are known to experience depression after they are
cyber bullied. In addition, they indulge in self-harm. All the
derogatory comments made about them makes them feel
inferior.

It also results in a lot of insecurities and complexes. The

victim which suffers cyber bullying in the form of harassing
starts having self-doubt. When someone points at your
insecurities, they only tend to enhance. Similarly, the victims
worry and lose their inner peace.

Other than that, cyberbullying also tarnishes the image of a

person. It hampers their reputation with the false rumors
spread about them. Everything on social media spreads like
wildfire. Moreover, people often question the credibility.
Thus, one false rumor destroys people’s lives.

Q.2 How to prevent cyberbullying?

A.2 We may prevent cyberbullying by limiting the

information we share online. In addition, we must make
children aware of the forms of cyberbullying and its
consequences.

Cyberbullying prevention is the need of the hour. It needs to

be monitored and put an end to. There are various ways to
tackle cyberbullying. We can implement them at individual
levels as well as authoritative levels.

Firstly, always teach your children to never share personal

information online. For instance, if you list your home
address or phone number there, it will make you a potential
target of cyberbullying easily.

Secondly, avoid posting explicit photos of yourself online.

Also, never discuss personal matters on social media. In
other words, keep the information limited within your group
of friends and family.Most importantly, never ever share
your internet password and account details with anyone. Keep
all this information to yourself alone. Be alert and do not
click on mysterious links, they may be scams. In addition,
teach your kids about cyber bullying and make them aware of
what’s wrong and right.

In conclusion, awareness is the key to prevent online

harassment. We should make the children aware from an
early age so they are always cautious. Moreover, parents
must monitor their children’s online activities and limit their
usage. Most importantly, cyber bullying must be reported
instantly without delay. This can prevent further incidents
from taking place.

Thank you.