Day 10: The Power of the Upstander
The Power of the Upstander









When cyberbullying occurs, there are often three roles people talk about: the person doing the bullying, the person being targeted, and the bystander who sees it happening but does nothing. However, there is a fourth, incredibly powerful role: the upstander.
An upstander is someone who sees cyberbullying and takes positive action to help.1 Being an upstander does not mean confronting the bully directly, which can sometimes make the situation worse. Instead, it involves a range of supportive actions: refusing to join in or share the hurtful content, reporting the abusive behavior to the platform, telling a trusted adult (a parent or teacher), and, most importantly, reaching out to the person being targeted to offer support and let them know they are not alone.1 Teaching children to be upstanders empowers them to create a more positive online community.
● Questions:
1. If you see a mean comment on a friend's post, what is one safe thing an upstander could do to help?
2. Why is being a bystander (seeing something and doing nothing) sometimes harmful?
● Family Activity: Role-play a simple scenario. For instance: "A classmate posts a photo of their new haircut, and someone leaves a comment making fun of it." Have family members act out what a bystander would do (scroll past) and then brainstorm and act out what an upstander could do (e.g., leave a positive comment on the post, privately message the friend to see if they're okay, tell a parent about the mean comment).
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