TUESDAY February 7 was Safer Internet Day 2023.

And as part of Police Scotland’s objective to keep children safe, Police Constable Moody visited Halyrude Primary School in Peebles and delivered guidance on internet safety and cyberbullying to P6 & P7 pupils.

The guidance was well received, with pupils actively participating in the discussions.

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Cyberbullying is any form of bullying which takes place online or through smartphones and tablets. It is rife on the internet and most young people will experience it or see it at some time.

The worst thing about social networking sites and messaging apps is that anything nasty posted about you can be seen by lots of people and these posts can go viral and be shared by so many people within minutes.

There are many ways of bullying someone online and for some it can take shape in more ways than one.

Some of the types of cyber bullying involves sending offensive, rude, and insulting messages and being abusive or sharing photos of someone for the purpose to ridicule, spreading fake rumours and gossip.

Other forms of bullying include exclusion which is when others intentionally leave someone out of a group such as group messages, online apps, gaming sites and other online engagement.

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The most vicious gossip and rumours are often spread by people who were once your friends so it's important to consider whether you trust someone before you do share your very personal information.

Social media is a great way of sharing things with friends and having fun. But if things turn nasty you can block people and you save abusive conversations as evidence. As tempting as it is to retaliate, it is best not to do so.

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If you post abuse about anyone online or if you send threats, you can be traced by the police without any difficulty. Every time you visit a website or make a posting, your internet service provider has an electronic note of your activity.