Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is the term used to define bullying behaviour that takes place via mobile phone or over the internet through instant messaging and social networking websites. Texts, emails or images are sent or posted online, which hurt, intimidate or embarrass another person. Cyberbullying is not carried out face to face and people often don't know who is targeting them.
But disconnecting mobile phones or the internet won't make bullying behaviour stop. Most young people communicate online in a responsible way, but adults need to take an active interest in the way technology is being used by children and young people and connect with them at home, at school, and in our communities.
What do I do if my child is being cyberbullied?
DON'T PANIC!
Children and young people are often reluctant to tell an adult that they are being cyberbullied for fear that they will over-react, or take away their access to the internet and their mobile phone.
Listen and learn
It is important to understand what you are both dealing with, so try to find out a bit more about what’s been happening:
- What has been said and where – via email, in a chatroom, in a text message?
- Who has been saying it and how long has it been going on?
- Has the cyberbullying been accompanied by bullying in ‘real' life?
- Have they tried to do something about it already – have they told anyone?
- How has it been making them feel/how has it been affecting them?
- Have they been storing/keeping any of the messages?
- Are there any images/photos/videos involved?
Decide a plan of action with your child
It is vital that they feel involved in the steps you’re going to take to address the bullying. This might include:
Going through any messages that they have received and kept
- If you feel that any of these messages can be construed as illegal then keep copies, dates, times, email addresses or phone numbers and take them to the police. Visit respectme’s section on Cyberbullying and the Law for guidance.
- Asking them not to open any further online or text messages from these addresses and phone numbers, but to allow you to open them instead.
- You might want to reply to these messages but be very careful not to respond in a manner which could be seen as threatening or harassing. It may be enough to respond saying that you are an adult and that the messages they are sending are hurtful and are causing you concern, they could be against the law and that they should stop sending them.
- Changing your child’s mobile phone number
- It is important that your child knows not to give their mobile number to people that they don’t know or trust. If their number falls into the wrong hands, contact their mobile network provider and get their number changed.
Changing their online profile
- Log-in names on MSN and profiles on social networking sites (Bebo, MySpace, etc) can be changed. Personal and identifying details should be kept to a minimum. Pages can be made private so they are only shared with friends, and are not public and available for anyone to see. Designs or cartoon characters can be used instead of photographs and nicknames can be used instead of real names.
Involve other agencies
- When the cyberbullying is being carried out by someone that your child knows and sees on a regular basis, it might be worth involving other agencies. If both parties are at school, it will be helpful to make the school aware of the problems, if they're not already, and involve them in the plan of what to do.
Support your child
- It is important not to get too hung up on the fact that your child has experienced cyberbullying but to recognise that they have been bullied and need the same support as they would if they had experienced any other type of bullying.
Your initial reaction is vital. Listen, learn, involve and resolve.
For further practical advice and information on dealing with Cyberbullying and other forms of bullying behaviour, visit respectme, Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Service.
