Section 15

Addressing Cyberbullying at Home

It is recommended that parents and caregivers supervise their children’s online activities and know how to help children deal with cyberbullying and other issues.

Parents should be knowledgeable about current technologies and establish clear expectations for technology usage and safety.

Parents should teach children:

  • Not to give out personal information online
  • Not to share their personal password with anyone other than their parents
  • Not to join in when they witness online cruelty
  • Not to forward hurtful messages or pictures to others

It is important to note that the bystander dynamic that plays a role in face-to-face bullying is also present in instances of cyberbullying.

Just as parents monitor their children’s face-to-face relationships and behavior, parents should make it clear to children that their online relationships and behavior will be monitored. In addition to keeping computers in public areas of the home, parents may use tools to limit or monitor their children’s online contacts.

Many Internet service providers and cell phone companies offer services that support online supervision. In addition, parents may purchase software that monitors or blocks social network activities (e.g., WebWatcher, SafetyWeb, Net Nanny, etc.).

When issues emerge online, parents should discuss these issues with their children and assist them in developing appropriate responses.

Parents should strive to establish routine and ongoing communication and adopt a problem-solving approach to assisting children in dealing with online challenges. While setting limits around technology usage can be helpful, banning children from technology is not recommended. This may actually encourage children to hide their online lives from their parents.

Section 15

If a Child Experiences Cyberbullying

Do not respond.
Children who engage in cyberbullying activities are seeking a reaction from their target. Even if it might seem warranted, do not respond out of anger.

Save the evidence.
Save harmful messages and print a copy of web content. These hard copies of the evidence can aid authorities when they investigate the situation.

Immediately seek help from a trusted adult.
It may be helpful for parents and children to identify, in advance, to whom their child will report concerns prior to any cyberbullying experience.

Work with adults to ensure the person who engages in cyberbullying activities is held accountable.
If the cyberbullying includes a direct threat to someone’s physical safety, a police report may be warranted. If the cyberbullying occurs at school, is brought into class, or continues as face-to-face bullying during the school day, the bullying should be reported to school administrators.

Contact the technology host to request that offensive content be removed and cyberbullies blocked.
Many technology companies accept abuse complaints via a web-portal on their site or through email.