I was cyber stalked at the age of 12 years old. Not by an adult, and not by a predator, but by kids my own age. Social Media sites is a petri dish of bullying, stalking, privacy leaks, and honestly just everything “bad”.
In the seventh grade I was a victim of Cyberbullying. It started off on a website called ask.fm and then started to spread into social media accounts. There were multiple fake instagram accounts that would torment me on the daily. Sending me mean comments, posting about me, and spreading terrible rumors.
If that wasn’t enough they started posting online what I was wearing that day. The person behind the screen was posting about what color sweater I had on, how my clothes were too big for me, the way my hair looked, and even how and where I sat, spoke, or laughed during the day. This was my first real experience with Cyberstalking. I was 12 years old and somewhere in my public school another 12 year old was stalking me.
(It sounds silly I know, but keep reading…)
I felt immensely uncomfortable going to school. This person knew who I was but I had no idea who they were. I was trapped in an environment where I was supposed to feel safe and because of Social Media I wasn’t.
This bullying and cyberstalking started to pick up and eventually I was receiving hate off and on for about three years. The accounts would go inactive from time to time and just as I thought the account was suspended or gone, they would start back up again.
The worst of the posting and stalking was not over either...
I started to get messages telling me to “end my life while I had the chance” and “that no one wanted to see me at school anymore.” It was at this point that I deleted my social media accounts and did not reactivate until I felt safe again, which took about a year.
My situation did not stop at social media. Somehow the person bullying me had found my email and phone number through the social media sites that I was signed up on. I started receiving phone calls from blocked numbers and hate messages.
Starting social media at a young age is something that I regret from time to time. My parents and I both thought that I was being safe and they monitored my accounts daily. We still do not know how this person received my information and I still do not know who it was that was stalking me.
My advice to you as a social media user is to check your privacy settings. Change your passwords often, and DO NOT link your social media to your personal email or phone number. Monitor who follows you and block people who may be harassing you.
It is not your fault if someone stalks you but you can prevent it from happening. Be cautious and be smart.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90316917/the-paranoid-persons-guide-to-online-privacy
In the seventh grade I was a victim of Cyberbullying. It started off on a website called ask.fm and then started to spread into social media accounts. There were multiple fake instagram accounts that would torment me on the daily. Sending me mean comments, posting about me, and spreading terrible rumors.If that wasn’t enough they started posting online what I was wearing that day. The person behind the screen was posting about what color sweater I had on, how my clothes were too big for me, the way my hair looked, and even how and where I sat, spoke, or laughed during the day. This was my first real experience with Cyberstalking. I was 12 years old and somewhere in my public school another 12 year old was stalking me.
(It sounds silly I know, but keep reading…)
I felt immensely uncomfortable going to school. This person knew who I was but I had no idea who they were. I was trapped in an environment where I was supposed to feel safe and because of Social Media I wasn’t.
This bullying and cyberstalking started to pick up and eventually I was receiving hate off and on for about three years. The accounts would go inactive from time to time and just as I thought the account was suspended or gone, they would start back up again.
The worst of the posting and stalking was not over either...
I started to get messages telling me to “end my life while I had the chance” and “that no one wanted to see me at school anymore.” It was at this point that I deleted my social media accounts and did not reactivate until I felt safe again, which took about a year.
My situation did not stop at social media. Somehow the person bullying me had found my email and phone number through the social media sites that I was signed up on. I started receiving phone calls from blocked numbers and hate messages.
Starting social media at a young age is something that I regret from time to time. My parents and I both thought that I was being safe and they monitored my accounts daily. We still do not know how this person received my information and I still do not know who it was that was stalking me.
My advice to you as a social media user is to check your privacy settings. Change your passwords often, and DO NOT link your social media to your personal email or phone number. Monitor who follows you and block people who may be harassing you.
It is not your fault if someone stalks you but you can prevent it from happening. Be cautious and be smart.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90316917/the-paranoid-persons-guide-to-online-privacy
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