How to Deal With Mean Comments on the Internet
Take a cyber-break., Keep the comments in perspective., Remove the comments., Talk to the sender in private., Talk to an adult you trust., Don’t feed trolls.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Take a cyber-break.
Sometimes taking a break from being online is the best way to deal with mean comments on the internet.Staying online makes it more likely that you will look at the comment repeatedly and get more upset.
It also makes it more likely that you will respond to the comment, which isn’t a good idea.
Close the app or walk away from your device so that you can think about how you want to deal with it and so that you can calm down.
Do something else like taking a walk or reading a book to distract yourself for a little while. -
Step 2: Keep the comments in perspective.
You can deal with mean comments by thinking about who is posting the comments and why they might be doing it.Although some people are actually trying to be mean, some comments may be meant to be funny or, perhaps, they are just worded wrong but the intentions aren’t bad.
Look at the sender.
The person may not even know you.
You’re probably "friends" with people on SnapChat and Instagram that you don't ever talk to in real life and may not have even met.
Could it be interpreted differently? For example, a comment from your best friend about a picture you posted that says ‘you look awful lol’ could just be his way of teasing you.
If it’s a comment on social media, think about whether it’s possible the sender didn’t mean to make the comment public.
For example, did your friend that is new to Snapchat post a Snap publicly that they meant to send as a private message? , If you are sure this a one-time or random event, then deal with the mean comment by deleting it or removing It from your page.
Once it’s gone, you don’t have to see it anymore or risk anyone else seeing it and making a bigger deal out of it.
Most sites and apps make it easy to remove a comment that has been posted.
Usually you can click ‘help’ and find instructions for removing a comment.
If it's a Facebook comment, click the ‘X’ in the top right corner of the post and press "Remove Post".
SnapChat posts are automatically deleted after 24 hours.
You can delete an Instagram comment by tapping it and then holding it.
A ‘trash’ icon will appear in the top right corner that you can click to delete the comment. , If the comment is from someone you know, you can deal with it by telling the person how you feel.
The sender may not realize that their comment was mean or that it hurt your feelings.
Talking to them in private may convince them to stop.Tell them the comment bothered you.
Try saying, “The message you sent me really hurt my feelings.
I know you may not have meant for it to.
But, please don’t send me anything like that again.” Explain that the comments could lead to false rumors being spread or unneeded drama between friends.
For example, you might say, “What you posted could be misinterpreted in a bad way.” If the comments are on social media and they are about something you would rather not discuss on the internet, then explain that to the person.
You could say, “I really don’t want everyone to know about that.
Next time, please just call me or send me a private message.” , If you are a child, pre-teen, or teenager and the mean comment is from an adult, you should tell another adult.
You should also talk to an adult if the comment bothers you so bad that you can’t sleep, or your eating habits change, or you feel bad about yourself for a while.
Immediately tell an adult like your parent, teacher, coach, or religious leader if another adult posts something mean, untrue, or scary about you or to you.
For example, you could tell your coach, “Coach, a grown-up posted a comment about me on Facebook that really hurt my feelings and made me feel bad about myself.” You could talk to your dad by saying, “A while ago someone posted a comment about me that was mean.
I tried to ignore it, but it still really bothers me.” Adults can help you with things like figuring out who the person is (if you don’t know), how to make sure they don’t do it again, and how to help you with how you feel about it. , Posting negative comments, or trolling, is a way for some people to gain recognition and sometimes it is just something they do to entertain themselves.
If you are dealing with someone who often posts negative comments online for you or other people, then this person might be an internet troll.
Internet trolls can be anonymous posters, or even people who are part of your social network.The best thing to do if you are dealing with a troll is to avoid giving that person the attention they are seeking.
Don’t respond to the person in any way, whether you are going to say something positive, negative, or neutral.
Responding (or feeding) the troll will only cause that person to feel noticed and want to continue the abusive commenting.Ignore the comment and move on with your day.
Try taking a few deep breaths to calm down and then distract yourself with something pleasant, such as a video, an interesting article, or something offline, such as the view outside of your window. -
Step 3: Remove the comments.
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Step 4: Talk to the sender in private.
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Step 5: Talk to an adult you trust.
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Step 6: Don’t feed trolls.
Detailed Guide
Sometimes taking a break from being online is the best way to deal with mean comments on the internet.Staying online makes it more likely that you will look at the comment repeatedly and get more upset.
It also makes it more likely that you will respond to the comment, which isn’t a good idea.
Close the app or walk away from your device so that you can think about how you want to deal with it and so that you can calm down.
Do something else like taking a walk or reading a book to distract yourself for a little while.
You can deal with mean comments by thinking about who is posting the comments and why they might be doing it.Although some people are actually trying to be mean, some comments may be meant to be funny or, perhaps, they are just worded wrong but the intentions aren’t bad.
Look at the sender.
The person may not even know you.
You’re probably "friends" with people on SnapChat and Instagram that you don't ever talk to in real life and may not have even met.
Could it be interpreted differently? For example, a comment from your best friend about a picture you posted that says ‘you look awful lol’ could just be his way of teasing you.
If it’s a comment on social media, think about whether it’s possible the sender didn’t mean to make the comment public.
For example, did your friend that is new to Snapchat post a Snap publicly that they meant to send as a private message? , If you are sure this a one-time or random event, then deal with the mean comment by deleting it or removing It from your page.
Once it’s gone, you don’t have to see it anymore or risk anyone else seeing it and making a bigger deal out of it.
Most sites and apps make it easy to remove a comment that has been posted.
Usually you can click ‘help’ and find instructions for removing a comment.
If it's a Facebook comment, click the ‘X’ in the top right corner of the post and press "Remove Post".
SnapChat posts are automatically deleted after 24 hours.
You can delete an Instagram comment by tapping it and then holding it.
A ‘trash’ icon will appear in the top right corner that you can click to delete the comment. , If the comment is from someone you know, you can deal with it by telling the person how you feel.
The sender may not realize that their comment was mean or that it hurt your feelings.
Talking to them in private may convince them to stop.Tell them the comment bothered you.
Try saying, “The message you sent me really hurt my feelings.
I know you may not have meant for it to.
But, please don’t send me anything like that again.” Explain that the comments could lead to false rumors being spread or unneeded drama between friends.
For example, you might say, “What you posted could be misinterpreted in a bad way.” If the comments are on social media and they are about something you would rather not discuss on the internet, then explain that to the person.
You could say, “I really don’t want everyone to know about that.
Next time, please just call me or send me a private message.” , If you are a child, pre-teen, or teenager and the mean comment is from an adult, you should tell another adult.
You should also talk to an adult if the comment bothers you so bad that you can’t sleep, or your eating habits change, or you feel bad about yourself for a while.
Immediately tell an adult like your parent, teacher, coach, or religious leader if another adult posts something mean, untrue, or scary about you or to you.
For example, you could tell your coach, “Coach, a grown-up posted a comment about me on Facebook that really hurt my feelings and made me feel bad about myself.” You could talk to your dad by saying, “A while ago someone posted a comment about me that was mean.
I tried to ignore it, but it still really bothers me.” Adults can help you with things like figuring out who the person is (if you don’t know), how to make sure they don’t do it again, and how to help you with how you feel about it. , Posting negative comments, or trolling, is a way for some people to gain recognition and sometimes it is just something they do to entertain themselves.
If you are dealing with someone who often posts negative comments online for you or other people, then this person might be an internet troll.
Internet trolls can be anonymous posters, or even people who are part of your social network.The best thing to do if you are dealing with a troll is to avoid giving that person the attention they are seeking.
Don’t respond to the person in any way, whether you are going to say something positive, negative, or neutral.
Responding (or feeding) the troll will only cause that person to feel noticed and want to continue the abusive commenting.Ignore the comment and move on with your day.
Try taking a few deep breaths to calm down and then distract yourself with something pleasant, such as a video, an interesting article, or something offline, such as the view outside of your window.
About the Author
Doris Smith
Writer and educator with a focus on practical pet care knowledge.
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