The best defense is a good offense. Follow our 6-step program and keep your digital domains hassle-free!

• Keep your personal information private. Names, addresses, license plate numbers, where you work, your date of birth, your social security number—nobody online needs these. Zip it. Know Your Privacy Rights
• Keep your passwords in lockdown. Tell No One. That way you'll never have to try and remember who you gave it to when something bad happens. If you feel the need to share your password with someone, try a parent or a trusted adult.
• Trust your gut. If you don't like or feel threatened by something in a text or IM, or anywhere online, tell someone who can help you.
• Report it. Threats, harassment, hate... reporting to site admins or the police is 100% the right thing to do.
• Communicate. If you don't like what's going down online or in IMs or texts, talk to your partner about which behaviors are bugging you.
• Draw your line. No need to settle for relationships or friendships that don't give you any breathing room. If your inboxes are overflowing with unwanted messages, take control! Delete, de-friend, and defend your domain.

No one is immune. If you're getting bullied, harassed, threatened, trashed, hacked, sexted, or constant messaged in a digital space, here's how to respond:

• Bite your thumb. Even though you have the perfect comeback, control yourself: Responding to mean or threatening messages inevitably fuels the fire and makes it worse.
• Keep tabs. If things get bad and you choose to contact the police, you'll need a record of what's been posted, texted, etc. So save the mean stuff.
• Report it. At the risk of repeating ourselves... we'll repeat ourselves. Threats, harassment, hate... reporting to site admins, parents/guardians/teachers is 100% the right thing to do.

Being harassed, threatened, or emotionally abused via your digital device is not fun. Here's how you can help your friends get through it and be a part of the solution, not the problem:

• Listen. Sometimes a good long venting session can help people feel better, so offer to listen without judgment or comment.
• Play nice/Think twice. Help friends, acquaintances, people you hardly know and even strangers by NOT getting sucked into a feeding frenzy. Don't harass people online.
• Be supportive. Help your pal recognize that he or she doesn't deserve to feel bad, scared, or unhappy, and that what's going on isn't "normal" and isn't their fault.
• Be vocal. If you're concerned for your friend's safety, say so.
• Be present. If your pal's being harassed by someone they're dating, or bullied or threatened online, help them find things to do outside that relationship by offering your company on a regular basis.
• Be protective. Help them develop a plan to end their relationship safely.
• Hook them up. Lots of local resources (like Break the Cycle) can provide guidance for people as they disengage from abusive relationships.
• Respect their decision—no matter what. The last thing someone who's suffering needs is to be abandoned by friends. They need your support.

No matter how large or small, every action you take to increase national awareness of this issue is an important step. Educate yourself, inspire others to make a difference and be a part of the solution. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Dating Abuse

• Get involved with loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline to end dating abuse.
• Read 5 simple ways YOU can help fight teen dating abuse, brought to you by Liz Claiborne and DoSomething.org.
• Explore The Safe Space to learn more about what other young people across the country are doing around this cause. Use your talents, skills and voice to raise awareness.
• Education is the first step in ending domestic violence. To promote laws that require education about healthy relationships and dating abuse in middle schools and high schools, sign the Break the Cycle and Mary Kay petition.

Digital Drama

• Check out these simple ideas from DoSomething.org to help stop cyberbullying in your community, school and everyday life.
• Join Teenangels and spread the word about responsible and safe Internet surfing to other teens, younger kids, parents and teachers. Teenangels are trained in all aspects of online safety, privacy and security and run unique programs in schools across the country.
• No one can tell you where to go, what to wear, or what to do because your actions and decisions are your responsibility. Join the BOM (Boss of Me) street team and help other teens dial down the drama.
• Push for the ADL Model Cyberbullying Prevention Statute, which requires school districts to adopt an anti-bullying policy in their schools that is comprehensive, practical and effective. The policy gives schools the resources they need to combat and respond to bullying and cyberbullying.
• Your cell phone, IM, and social networks are all a digital extension of who you are. When someone you're with pressures you or disrespects you in those places, that's not cool. The Family Violence Prevention Fund, in partnership with the Ad Council, have created "That's Not Cool" to raise awareness about digital dating abuse and stop it before it gets worse.

Advocate for your school to adopt any of the following resources to help educate other students on teen dating abuse and cyberbullying:

• Liz Claiborne- Love is not abuse The Love Is Not Abuse Curriculum is a step-by step guide to teaching high school students about the issue of dating violence. Using literature and poetry, this program provides teachers with the tools to teach about this subject and is intended to be taught in either Health or English/Language Arts classes.
• Hazelden - Cyber bullying: A Prevention Curriculum for Grades 6-12 This highly engaging, eight-session curriculum helps students understand what cyber bullying is, its consequences, and what students should do if they are being cyber bullied. The program includes a facilitator's guide and a CD-ROM of reproducible handouts, posters, parent materials (in English and Spanish) and information on how to address cyber bullying in a comprehensive school wide prevention effort.
• Anti-Defamation League - Cyberbullying and Online Cruelty: Challenging Social Norms The purpose of this lesson is to increase awareness and empathy among students with regard to cyberbullying and online social cruelty.  Through visual media and discussion, students are encouraged to reevaluate their own online behavior and to explore their collective civic responsibility to make the Internet a safe "neighborhood."  Students are challenged to analyze how social norms contribute to negative online behavior, and to design a campaign to reshape these norms in their school community.

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