Stalking and cyberstalking are very similar to each other, but there are some key differences parents and teens should be aware of in order to stay safe. For example, stalking involves the obsessive behaviour from one person to another. This is typically an annoyance at first involving letters, phone calls, and emails. This will gradually move on to threatening and obscene behaviour that becomes dangerous. This is where stalking and cyberstalking are alike. The difference is where it occurs. Cyberstalking is typically something that occurs online, whereas stalking does not involve the Internet as much. Learn about Cyberstalkers Now!

What Are Cyberstalkers?

Cyberstalkers typically are not able to understand or have any type of comprehension of the fear or apprehension they inflict upon their victims. They believe their victims are deserving of everything they get and, quite simply, they do not care. Cyberstalkers have been put into five different categories so victims can better understand what they are up against.

  1. Incompetent Suitors: cyber stalkers that are deeply enamoured with their victims are often categorized as incompetent suitors. Their entire life revolves around how the cyber stalker plans on how the two of them can eventually become a couple. This person lacks courting skills, yet is constantly trying to make contact with their victim.
  2. Intimacy Seekers: these cyber stalkers have no negative feelings toward their victims, and simply want to have a long-lasting and loving relationship with them. They believe it is their destiny to be with their victim and that the two of them are soul mates. Celebrities are often the target of these types of cyberstalking cases.
  3. Predatory Stalkers: of all the cyber stalkers, this category is the most dangerous. This type of cyber stalker is also the most determined of all of them, as well. They are constantly acting out attacks on their victim, and each of their encounters with their victim is premeditated. Predatory stalkers are motivated by sexual perversion, which is the primary reason why they are the most dangerous.
  4. Rejected Stalkers: they feel like their relationship with the victim should not have ended, and they will do anything to get them back. They will do anything they can to reverse the breakup, including stalking them online.
  5. Resentful Stalkers: they are fully aware that their victims know they are being cyberstalked, but they do not care. They continue to cyber stalk them as often as they please, and their goal is to continue inflicting as much fear and distress upon their victim as they can. They believe their victim deserves this punishment.

Understanding cyber stalkers, as well as stalkers in the real world, is the first step toward reducing the risks of becoming a victim. Bullying is often intertwined with stalking and cyberstalking as a means of intimidation. While some forms of bullying are vague and seem more like manipulation, there are other types that are more damaging and frightening.

Bullies, stalkers, and cyber stalkers tend to suffer from psychological issues, and psychiatric issues and are motivated by the urge to perform sexual dominance. It is not uncommon for people to believe they are just being harassed when, in fact, some form of stalking is occurring. This is why it is essential for parents to take an active role in what their teen is doing on the Internet. Parents should have access to every account their teen is using, they should examine the history on their children’s computers so they know what websites they are visiting, and they should set up parental controls. While it is tough for a parent to keep an eye on everything their child is doing all the time, taking active measures is better than doing nothing at all. The Internet is a scary place for an adult, let alone a child or a teen.

The Bottom Line:

Be aware of everything that is going on and, above all, let your teen know they can talk to you about anything should trouble to occur. This includes if they have wandered onto a website they know you do not approve of. Rather than becoming upset with them initially, work with them toward solving the problem so your child does not become another one of the many cyberstalking cases statistics. Once the problem has become resolved, then you can work with your child toward ensuring they do not go on to those types of websites again.