Stop this Epidemic!

This is in continuation of my blog "Dark Side of Social Media". If you haven't read it till now please read it, Dark Side of Social Media .

So the question arises How to stop it?  What are the preventive measures to stop this epidemic?

Being a good citizen you can go and talk to that person who is performing this heinous act and if he/she doesn't respond to your request positively then go and file a police complaint against him/her.

Given below are some laws that can be used to tackle cyberbullying:

●     Publishing or transmitting obscene material — Sec. 67

●        Publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material in electronic form — Sec. 67A

●        Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman — Sec. 509

●        Sending defamatory messages by e-mail — Sec. 499 IPC

●        Printing, selling, advertising grossly indecent or scurrilous matter or matter intended for blackmail — Sec. 292A

●        Stalking and contacting, or attempting to contact a woman — Sec. 354D

●        Making sexually colored remarks, guilty of the offence of sexual harassment — Sec 354 A

●        Violation of privacy — Sec. 66E


●        Criminal intimidation by anonymous communication — Sec. 507

This is the most easiest and efficient way to tackle cyberbullying. If you nodded yes then ponder again on the same. I don't think I have to give facts and figures that how efficient are our law enforcement. So simply filling a complaint will help you? No, not in my opinion. They will act on the case only if you have something very concrete or, particularly in India, you have contacts with people at high designations. This simply doesn't mean that you shouldn't be handling the person by your own methods or procedures. No one is above law. So except filing a complaint we got no other options. But to make it a fruitful action we have to take some steps.

 So, "What steps should be taken?” First of all, identify the pathogen; block him so that he cannot send you any further messages. First and foremost action or step that has to be taken is blocking the user. But be smart, take screenshots of those messages/emails which were inappropriate and save them as evidence. Take proper screenshots of everything which you found out to be inappropriate, either it is post, or any comment, messages/chats or emails. This will help you a lot while fighting the case (if it goes in the court) as well as in providing evidences to prove his guilt. After saving all the important evidences, use your friends and report this user on each and every social media site he is active on. Nowadays, every social media has an option of reporting any user/page/account/group. Use this and report that user. And even after all this, bullying still continues then without any hesitation go and file a complaint against him. But here you have a strong hold on the case and you can easily prove that the next person is the culprit.

This was all about what to do when you are being bullied. But as we are very well know that prevention is better than cure, as a result, many of us might have a question that "What steps should be taken to prevent these kinds of crimes?"  

Well as a matter of fact you cannot remove any emotion from human psychology, so you just cannot stop anyone from being jealous or feeling low or develop any grudges against you. Here comes the role of guardians or parents. Nowadays, being active on these social media sites is very important. Hence parents/guardians have to understand that prohibiting your children from using these sites is not a way out of this. Let them use these sites, and in the current scenario, it's important also. But they should have a proper idea or limits of getting indulged in these "social swamps". A good state of mind, a very important or you can say the only medicine needed to stop this epidemic, is sculpted or developed in one's personality through the knowledge surpassed to him by his/her elders. Feeling of loneliness is what pushes these teenagers into these swamps, and once they get into this, they will drown subconsciously to unknowing depths. Guardians should be very cautious about their child's activity and should guide him to the right path instead of scolding him, if he gets deviated. This will result in less number of SOCIALFREAKS hence resulting in negligible numbers of cyberbullies. 

 The teenagers should understand that having 10k followers is not a luxury but having 10 very good, honest and trustworthy friends in real is a luxury. So rather being a fake actor in this reel life, be an original gangsta in real life.

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