Online gaming: Is this bullying?

Online gaming can be lots of fun!

There is so much to do, see and explore when you are playing a game.

It can be fun to learn new things and to solve problems.

It’s great to play with friends online too

Online games can let you play with your friends even when you’re not together.

Sometimes you might even have strangers in your game or team who could live on the other side of the world!

But sometimes other players can be mean

When you play online with other people, sometimes they can be mean, rude or say some hurtful things.

Bullying can happen in games too.

Bullying in games is called cyberbullying

Cyberbullying happens when other players swear at you, call you names or send you hurtful mesges. 

They might gang up on you, leave you out or destroy or steal your items.

It’s never ok for somebody to bully you

People who bully want to make you feel bad about yourself.

But, it’s important not to believe the negative things other people say about you when you’re gaming online.

There are things you can do!

You can block or report the people who are bullying you.

Turning off the chat or muting the bullying can help too.

You could even leave the game, start a new one or just take a break for a little bit.