What Steps Can Adults Take to Help With Cyberbullying?

If your child experiences cyberbullying, you may feel like you do not have many options other than to shut off the Internet completely and block them from using the popular social platforms that their peers do every day. Unfortunately, this can make matters worse in some cases. It also locks young people out of the normal and positive relationships and communication that should remain welcome and beneficial.

You can do more to help with cyberbullying than 100 percent avoidance. These tips will help you help your child navigate difficult situations and protect themselves against others who want to do them harm.

Pay Attention

The most important step to stop cyberbullying is noticing when it happens. You should not only oversee your child's activities online as much as is reasonably possible, but you must also keep track of any changes in mood, habits, eating, and sleeping. If the young person begins to avoid activities they usually like, tries to get out of going to school, or stops using the Internet, it is a good sign that they are experiencing negative situations.

Communicate

Parents and guardians must walk a fine line between respectfully allowing their children agency and privacy and providing oversight and guidance if something is going wrong. Do not wait to talk to them about cyberbullying when you think it happens. From the earliest days of using the Internet in front of you, keep up a steady dialogue about what harassment and trolling is, the fact that it is not their fault, and how they can help keep themselves safe.

Document Cyberbullying

Keep a record of any bullying messages on social media, through email, text messages, gaming platforms, and any other places they occur. Also keep track of the usernames or account information of the people who perpetrate these horrible acts. Remember that you need some proof to make a report against them but that you are not attempting to gather evidence for the long-term. Making it all stop is more important than record keeping.

Report Cyberbullying

With the ever-increasing focus on anti-bullying behavior, all social platforms and communication apps online have rules against this type of thing. Report the bullies with the documented evidence if possible. Unfortunately, you may find some resistance from your child. Snitching on their peers can cause problems, especially if they are part of their friend group at school or in extracurricular activity. This is where communication comes in again. Help the bullied individual know that they do not deserve the treatment and that what the other person does falls well outside the bounds of friendship or normalcy.

One of the most important things that adults can do when faced with cyberbullying is to support the person experiencing it. If you witness it happening online, diffuse the situation or speak out in a positive way to change the narrative. Talk with your child or reach out to other victims and let them know that you will help them take care of the problem. Positive support can go a long way to alleviating the stress and anxiety associated with online bullying situations.