First rule on having a reasonably healthy online experience is:
Do not be bullied.
By that, do not be a victim of anyone.
Never dismiss, tolerate, condone, or justify any act of bullying, no matter how seemingly minor.
Before accepting friendship requests, ensure the individual is worth access into your space and online life.
For that reason, only sparingly accept friendship requests.
Never hesitate to turn down precarious Facebook friendship requests.
Set your tagging functions to your desire; only friends is recommended.
That way, you control where your name tag occurs.
No tagging is best, particularly if your friends tag posts frequently.
It reduces the probability of being tagged on a post along with someone you simply do not want to see.
For other social media with similar platforms as Twitter, setting your posts to private is a considerable step.
As the online world is for you to interact with persons you may not meet in real life, having public posts is conscionable.
Besides, concerns over bullying must not render you a recluse, which is what bullies want.
Bullies do not want others to interact with you.
You play right into that by shutting everyone out.
Consistently report any intimidating post where you were tagged or your name mentioned.
Use that block button often if need be.
Always ensure only you can view your personal online data; double check the privacy settings.
Bullies want attention; deprive them of that.
Bullies want the recipient to read those taunting words.
Even when you read them, act as if it has not been read.
Keep screenshots of all taunting remarks.
That should not be limited to the original remark, but include all those who retweet it or comment on it.
Always inform an adult.
Commence with the nearest and present adult, which could be a parent, teacher or any concerned person.
Remember that law enforcement officials have a presence online; tag them.
Do the same with social services, child protection agency and antibullying organisations.
Control the event.
Yes, the taunt can be seen and spread within seconds by hundreds of persons.
Remember, you have a say in who views that taunt.
Pass it to as many agencies as you can.
Plus, this time you have more than verbal evidence of the embarrassment caused to you, in the form of screenshots or saved pages.
If browsing on your mobile phone, UC Browser is of immense value, as the latest version has a screenshot feature as an addon.
One thing is different facets of bullying require slightly different action.
If a bully is in one’s face, of course, the response is better to let someone know immediately.
In the meantime, the least the recipient can do is to continue doing precisely what the bully is mocking.
Never attempt to change who you are to placate a bully.
Bullying is an easy way to extract compliance; deny them that.
Should a bully misquote or distort your words or information, never offer an explanation or clarification for the words of a bully.
Frequently, cyberbullying has a transition into real life.
That shall be addressed in the second part of Teenage Optimism.

•Umm Sulaim is the Publisher ofUmm Sulaim’s Thoughts(https://iamummsulaim.wordpress.com)

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