Tackle it Tuesday: Cyberbullying/Ragebait

September 16, 2025

Welcome to Tackle It Tuesday, a social media series where an autistic employee at AAoM (yours truly) writes workplace (and now more!) tips to better cope with the stresses of a world not built for neurodiversity.

This Tackle it Tuesday is on internet safety. Like the previous series of entries, this is a big topic, so I’m going to focus on cyberbullying and ragebaiting, two things that can spiral out of control if not nipped in the bud.

An image with a green background. The text reads: Tackle it Tuesday: Protect Your Peace The internet is a uniquely frustrating place, particularly for autistic people. From cyberbullying to ragebaiting to internet arguments where no one wants to listen to the other side, autistic people are more vulnerable to the pitfalls of all of these problems. But there are ways to prevent more harm from being done. Today, we will focus on cyberbullying and ragebaiting.

An image with a green background. At the bottom of the image, there is a person in a red shirt yelling at a person in a blue shirt. The text reads: Tackle it Tuesday: What’s Cyberbullying? Ragebaiting and cyberbullying are different, but very similar. Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully one person or a small group of people. This is especially common on platforms like X, TikTok, and Instagram Reels.

An image with a green background. At the bottom of the image, a person in a red shirt is crossing their arms, yelling while a crowd of people yell angrily. The text reads: Tackle it Tuesday: What’s Ragebaiting? Ragebaiting, on the other hand, is posting intentionally offensive or angering material online to anger as many people as possible. Ragebait is especially common on platforms like Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram.

An image with a green background. The text reads: Tackle it Tuesday: Prevention There is an adage that applies here: “The internet is forever” While many things on the internet get buried or deleted, treat each post you make as if it’s there forever, and anyone can find it. Especially if your profiles are connected to your real life. At the very least, not giving personal information gives you an escape plan if you do get harassed.

An image with a green background. In the image, the person in the blue shirt is whistling and walking away from the red shirt aggressor, who is pointing and yelling at the person in the blue shirt. The text reads: Tackle it Tuesday: What Can You Do? Don’t feed into it. If someone is insulting you or trying to anger you, do not respond. Especially do not respond when you are hurt or angry: that will give the bully exactly what they want, whether it’s your anger alone or money from your interactions.

An image with a green background. In the image, the person in the blue shirt is whistling and walking away from the red shirt aggressor, who is lowering their pointing finger in confusion. The text reads: Tackle it Tuesday: What Can You Do? The end goal for most cyberbullies/ragebaiters is to keep angering their victim(s) of choice for entertainment, sort of like reality TV. If you don’t give them a reaction, you bore them.

An image with a green background. In the image, the person in the blue shirt is whistling and walking away from the red shirt aggressor. There is a long black box between them, with the words "BLOCKED" written on it in white text. The text reads: Block them. This depends on how dedicated this person is to harassing you. If this is a low-level harasser or a ragebaiter, blocking one account should be enough. If one person keeps making accounts, keep blocking those accounts.

An image with a green background. The text reads: Tackle it Tuesday: Reporting Reporting: For cyberbullying and ragebaiters who break the terms of service of the platforms they use, most websites should have a report function. Collect whatever information you can, including screenshots of the offending party’s actions, and send them out. Do not delete any information. (This is highlighted in red)

An image with a green background. The text reads: Tackle it Tuesday: If It Gets Worse Police are available to help if your bullies actively commit crimes against you. They should be used if things get so severe that your personal safety is threatened Examples Include: Leaking sexual photos without consent Leaking personal identifying information Making detailed, actionable threats against your/your loved ones’ safety

An image with a green background. On the left and right of the image, there are two QR codes. The text reads: Tackle it Tuesday: Resources How to report Stop Bullying (Courtesy of the US Government) Get Help With Online Harassment Consumer Report: Security Planner

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