Cyberbullying

The Facts

20-30%

of kids report having been cyberbullied in their lifetime.

10%

of kids report having been a cyberbully.

95%

of teens have access to a smartphone, making this a common tool for cyberbullying.

A child who is being cyberbullied may

Avoid using the Internet
Seem stressed when getting an email, text, or other message
Withdraw from family and friends
Resist attending school and social events
Show signs of low self-esteem like depression or fear
Have declining grades
Stop eating or sleeping
In serious cases, consider suicide

teach them to

Not respond
Save the evidence Any online harassment that is sexual in nature should also be reported to Report.CyberTip.org.

you should

Meet with school administrators to discuss a plan of action and their bullying/cyberbullying policy
Talk about the situation with the bully’s parent or guardian

If your child is being cyberbullied

Stand Up To It

If your child sees someone being cyberbullied, tell them to

Not forward embarrassing photos or messages
Not comment on insulting or harassing posts
Report it to the website or app
Tell a teacher at school if it involves a classmate
Support the victim by being a good friend and showing the cyberbullies they won’t join in

Ask

Has anyone ever tried talking to you online about inappropriate or sexual things? What did you do?
Do you trust all of your online friends? Are there any people you should unfriend or block?

Do you know how to report, flag, or block people on the websites and apps you use? Can you show me?
Who would you talk to if you were upset by a request you received online?

If you see something online that's meant to hurt someone, don't "like" or share it. Think about how you'd feel if someone did that to you.

It's OK not to like someone. It's not OK to bully them.

If someone cyberbullies you, you may want to send a mean comment back, but it could make this worse. Instead, save the evidence and report it.

Being a good digital citizen means standing up for others. Take steps to help peers being cyberbullied (eg., post nice comments, sit with them at lunch, report the harassment, etc.).