CYBER BULLYING
and How to Stop It
FAQ
You're not alone—many families face this. Here's what parents and children should know about the torment of cyber bullying – and how to stop it.
The Internet Gives Bullies New Weapons
Some eighth-grade girls stole a makeup case from a new classmate, and she reported them. Then insulting, taunting instant messages started popping up on her computer screen. She responded in defense, which only made things worse. Email messages, blogs, and cell phone texting make bullying publicly humiliating with just a few clicks. The technology allows users to inflict pain without seeing its effect, thus fosters even more meanness than the old-fashioned face-to-face bullying. We need to protect kids from kids.
Grieving parents take on social media giant to save precious lives | 60 Minutes Australia | video 16m54s | Her parents couldn’t save their precious daughter. Now they want to warn others – unsuspecting parents and vulnerable teenagers – about the dangers of popular social media apps like Snapchat.
Confronting Cyber Bullying
Bullying is the “intentional and generally unprovoked attempts by one or more individuals to inflict physical hurt and/or psychological distress on one or more victims.” – per the US Department of Education (“Exploring the Nature and Prevention of Bullying”)
Bullying, in general, may be a single physical attack or spreading rumors and social exclusion - with ridicule being the most common form. Cyber bullying uses websites, email, and cell phones to harass victims.
Victims
often consider it cowardly to report bullying (and worsen their already
low status among peers) and teachers and parents often disregard it
anyway, which allows bullies to carry on.
Listen to your child and watch for warning signs of the effects of bullying: unusual behavior and class performance. Victims are often scared of leaving home – especially of going to school. Stopping bullies begins at home, and schools must properly respond as well.
How to Prevent Cyberbullying:
Key Tips for Parents
These core actions help build safer online habits while keeping your child feeling supported and secure.
♦ Have open, non-judgmental conversations. Talk regularly about their online experiences—what apps they use, what they see/share, and how it feels. Teach kindness online, why not to respond to mean messages, and that they can come to you without fear of losing devices.
♦ Establish clear family rules and agreements. Create simple guidelines together: private accounts only, no sharing passwords or personal info, device-free times (e.g., bedrooms/meals), and limits on who can contact them. Treat tech use as a shared responsibility with consistent follow-through.
♦ Stay involved and monitor appropriately. Keep devices in common areas when younger; follow them on social media or check in periodically. Use built-in parental controls for screen time, content filters, and privacy settings on platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
♦ Teach essential safety and privacy habits. Emphasize strong passwords, thinking before posting, blocking/reporting strangers or mean users, and adjusting settings to limit tags/DMs from non-friends. Warn about risks like location sharing or engaging with unknowns.
♦ Encourage empathy and positive bystander actions. Discuss how words hurt online too—model respectful behavior yourself. Teach them to support friends (e.g., report anonymously or offer kind words) and recognize that bullying often reflects the bully's issues, not the victim's.
♦ Leverage tools and quick responses. Enable app features like comment filters, restricted mode, or "quiet mode." Save evidence if needed, and know how to report violations early. Build resilience by reminding them cyberbullying isn't their fault and help is available.
These steps significantly lower risks—most issues decrease with consistent adult involvement. You're equipping your child to handle online spaces confidently and safely. These concise, practical tips are based on current guidance from StopBullying.gov and Cyberbullying.org and similar sources (as of 2026).
Age-Specific Prevention Tips for Parents
Tailor your approach to your child's age and tech use—younger kids need strong supervision and simple rules, while older ones thrive with trust, open talks, and independence.
Young Children (Ages 5–9) Heavy oversight to build safe habits early.
♦ Supervise all device use in common areas; use strict parental controls and filters.
♦ Set basic rules: No sharing personal info/photos; passwords with parents only; limited/scheduled screen time.
♦ Talk simply about kindness online (mean words hurt just like in person).
♦ Teach: Tell a trusted adult right away if something feels wrong - no handling alone.
♦ Model respectful behavior yourself.
Pre-Teens (Ages 10–12) Shift to teaching responsibility with ongoing involvement.
♦ Have regular, calm talks about privacy, empathy, and not responding to mean messages.
♦ Co-create rules: Private accounts; no strangers in contacts; share passwords with parents; no devices in bedrooms at night.
♦ Review settings together (block unknowns, enable filters); spot-check activity as needed.
♦ Encourage supporting friends (report issues, say kind things).
♦ Praise good choices and remind them: You're always there for help - no overreaction.
Teens (Ages 13–17) Focus on empowerment, dialogue, and mutual respect.
♦ Keep casual, judgment-free check-ins: Ask about apps, fun/stressful experiences, and share your own stories.
♦ Set collaborative guidelines: Age-appropriate apps; quick block/report of harassers; no sharing explicit content.
♦ Teach advanced skills: Strong passwords; limit DMs/tags from non-friends; avoid location sharing; spot red flags.
♦ Discuss digital citizenship: Bystander upstanding, long-term digital footprint, empathy in posts.
♦ Build trust: More independence as they prove responsibility, but stay a go-to resource.
Across ages: Emphasize you're on their side - cyberbullying isn't their fault, most cases improve with help, and these steps build confidence and safety. Adjust for your child's maturity.
Facing Down Bullies (and Their Enablers)
Finally bullies are getting the attention they have long deserved. We no longer think that bullying is a normal part of childhood. Dan Olweus, a professor of psychology at the University of Bergen, Norway has developed a prevention model that focuses attention on the largest group of children, the bystanders.
This turns the situation around so the other kids realize that the bully is someone who has a problem controlling his or her behavior, and the victim is someone they can protect. Boy’s bullying is more direct - taunting and/or physical aggression. Girl’s bullying is more indirect - gossip, rumors, and social exclusion.
To lessen bullying, the school needs to survey the children and find out where, when, and how it happens. Then they must activate the bystanders by changing the nature of the school through classroom instruction, contacting parents, and zero tolerance of every incident.
Parents of bullied children need to demand that schools take action.
See more about the "Bystander Effect" at Bystander Apathy.
Cyber Bullying vs Schools & Law
In order for schools to control out-of-school student speech, it must likely cause a "substantial disruption" to in-school activities. Parents and students must report the bullying. Even if the facts do not legally support school regulation of online bullying, a good faith report will alert a school to a potential problem which needs to be addressed.
In addition to bullies, online predators lurk at social and game sites to groom kids into deviant behavior. Any site that attracts kids ALSO attracts predators hunting for kids! Learn how to protect your kids from all online threats at:
► ConsumerNotice: Internet Safety for Kids.
► How to Prevent Cyberbullying with Technology.
► NeedHelpNow.ca helps teens stop the spread of sexual pictures or videos. This Canadian site will help you find help in your country as well.
Moving Beyond
The Internet frightens parents who aren’t web-savvy, and they’ll hurt their kid’s futures if they stop them from using it. The Internet is a crucial tool to help with your child’s homework and other valuable searches.
SURFING SECURELY
► Always know what your children are doing online.
► Put the family computer in a common room.
► Use filtering programs so your children can't access questionable websites.
Resources for Cyber Bullying
& Overall Internet Safety
NOTICE: This non-profit website is for informational purposes only and is drawn from the bibliography and USDOJ. Use the information at your own risk. See disclaimers.
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