Imagine a walk home from school filled with fear. Imagine you feel the fear because of a bully. Now imagine your bully is online \u2014 and this bully, a troll, can get to you any time of day. Whether offline or online, bullies drain joy and resources from our lives. It\u2019s up to all of us to counter this troll tax and make our world and Web more inclusive, welcoming and safe for all.<\/p>\n
Today, more than one out of every five students<\/a> reports being bullied. The most common reasons<\/a> for bullying cited by students are looks, body shape and race. The effects of bullying are longstanding and deep. Youth who self-blame and conclude they deserved to be bullied are are more likely to face depression, prolonged victimization and maladjustment<\/a> as they grow older.<\/p>\n Mozilla invited DeRay McKesson<\/a> \u2014 American civil rights activist, Black Lives Matter supporter, and host of Pod Save the People<\/a> \u2014 to speak at a recent event we held in San Francisco, A Night for Internet Health<\/i><\/a>. There, McKesson talked about bullying and its impact. He called out that the currencies of bullying are fear and confusion. And, importantly, that silence can\u2019t be the answer.<\/p>\n