The internet has become an integral part of our daily lives. It’s where we connect, get a lot of our news and information, and where we turn for inspiration and entertainment. But it can also be harmful. One of the risks: cyberbullying.

What is cyberbullying?

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), cyberbullying is when someone uses a digital forum – anything from emails and text messages to gaming and social media – to harass, threaten or humiliate someone else. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), it’s repeated behaviour that’s aimed at scaring, angering or shaming the person targeted.

Cyberbullying is especially damaging because the person being bullied can feel like nowhere is safe – the internet is everywhere and so the bullying follows them wherever they go, 24 hours a day. What’s more, the bully can act without revealing their true identity, which can make them seem even more intimidating.

Types of cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can take various forms. The South African law journal Obiter lists these examples:

1. Flaming or trolling: heated messages in public online forums that involve abusive language or remarks specifically designed to provoke you into an argument.

2. Harassment: repeatedly sending cruel, threatening or offensive communications to a particular person.

3. Denigration: distributing or uploading gossip or rumours about someone, pictures or videos of someone that spread rumours or make fun of them, or pictures or videos that have been digitally altered (e.g. with AI).

4. Online impersonation: pretending to be someone else and sending mean messages to people on their behalf or using fake accounts.

5. Outing: sharing someone’s secrets or embarrassing pictures or videos of the person.

6. Trickery: gaining someone’s trust and then outing the personal information they share with you.

7. Exclusion: intentionally excluding someone from an online group or forum.

8. Cyberstalking: repeatedly threatening someone with harm or intimidating them online.

9. Happy slapping: when someone performs some kind of act of physical violence on someone else (e.g. slapping) and then uploads a video of the incident.

How to handle cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can have devastating effects. It can cause the target of the bullying to become depressed, anxious and withdrawn. Feeling like there’s no escape can even cause them to become suicidal. If you’re being cyberbullied, it’s important to remember that you are not helpless. SAPS recommends the following:

1. Don’t respond: The bully wants a reaction. Don’t give it to them.

2. Don’t retaliate: Fighting back will only egg the bully on.

3. Save evidence: Take screengrabs, save them, and show them to someone who can help.

4. Block them: Block the bully’s account and any new ones they might create.

5. Don’t keep it a secret: In South Africa, cyberbullying is a criminal offence and there are various legal options available to you. Bullies often hide behind a random handle or fake name but guess what? They can still be found.

Attorney Emma Sadleir Berkowitz, founder of The Digital Law Co, is one of South Africa’s leading experts on social media law. In her latest book, How Not To Mess Up Online, co-authored with her colleague Rorke Wilson and published in June 2025, she explains how relatively easy it is for authorities to track down a cyberbully – even if the bully used a fake name, VPN or paid cash at an internet café. If you’re a target of scary, anonymous cyberbullying, her book shows that you can make it stop.

As distressing and terrifying as cyberbullying can be, you are not a helpless victim.