Parenting: Protecting Your Child From Cyberbullying
With email, messaging, online gaming and an ever-changing slew of social media sites, it has become easier than ever to torment and even blackmail someone online. Kids and teens are particularly vulnerable as they are immersed in virtual connections while trying to build social ones.
What is cyberbullying?
Bullying through digital technologies such as social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones is known as cyberbullying. The behavior can take many forms, including:
- posting embarrassing or harmful photos or videos
- spreading lies or rumors online
- doxing, which is sharing someone’s private or identifying information online
- sending hurtful, abusive or threatening messages
- creating fake accounts to harass someone
- impersonating someone else and sending harmful messages to others
- engaging in sexual harassment or bullying using generative AI tools
Such acts constitute cyberbullying when repeated — even if the person perpetrating them did not necessarily intend to cause harm.
Cyberbullying has been pervasive for years. A 2019 UNICEF U-Report poll of 170,000 young people in 30 countries found that more than one-third had experienced cyberbullying in some form.
Related: Connecting & Protecting: How UNICEF Supports Children's Futures in the Digital Age
The far reaching effects of cyberbullying
The effects of this type of harassment are far reaching and often long lasting. Cyberbullying causes emotional distress, shame, anxiety, fear and sadness. It can lead to social isolation, loss of self-esteem, depression, stomachaches, headaches and problems with sleep and concentration. In some cases, cyberbullying has led to suicide.
Gamers also at risk
Multiplayer gaming — whether online or through game consoles — can often lead to cyberbullying due to anonymity and the competitive environment. Over 65 percent of video game players of all ages play online with others, and in these gaming environments, users are connecting and communicating with people all around the world.
How to prevent cyberbullying
The many ways of targeting kids on the internet make protecting them seem impossible. Here are a few strategies and steps can teach them to be alert to cyberbullying and how to stay safe.
Protect children's accounts
Help your children create passwords for their phones and online accounts so no one can impersonate them. Make sure you and your children's other caregivers know those passwords and codes, and warn children not to share passwords with anyone else.
Check settings
Sit down with your kids to review the privacy settings on their devices, including apps and channels like YouTube, social media accounts, gaming sites and their phones. Make sure privacy settings are turned on, set high and that your children know not to share personal details with others online.
Model good behavior
Teach them what appropriate behavior looks like — for them and for others they may be interacting with online. As they grow, kids are learning how to behave, including in online spaces. It's easy for them to take teasing too far, posting a picture or gossip that could harm someone. They also need to recognize when comments and requests from others are inappropriate, when to push back and when to tell you.
Spot check devices
Periodically check their devices, their email, social media sites and online games. Set the expectation with your children that you’ll be taking this step so that it doesn’t feel like you’re invading their privacy.
How to spot when your child is being cyberbullied
- Pay attention to changes in your child’s temperament and conduct. Are they moody, withdrawn? Have their grades dropped? Do they dread going to school? Are they upset after reading a text or going online? Explore whether these changes are related to online interactions.
- Talk about bullying. Have regular casual conversations and be supportive. Perhaps tell them of an experience you had with bullying, whether online or in-person. Let them know that they can always turn to you.
- Play online games with your children or observe their gaming to understand the environments they’re exposed to.
- Ask questions to learn what’s happening, how it began and who is involved. Your child may be too embarrassed or ashamed to talk about the bullying and instead internalize it, so be sure to ask questions without being confrontational or accusatory.
How to stop cyberbullying
- Don't respond. It's best not to engage with the bully. If possible, get friends to provide support and de-escalate by posting positive comments.
- Block the bully. Most social media apps and online gaming services will allow you to block the person. In gaming environments, you can mute your child’s headset or disable the chat. Be sure to report any cyberbullying to the company using in-game or in-app tools.
- Keep records. Capture screenshots of harmful posts or content whenever feasible. Document what’s happening— it will be essential evidence later if you need to prove harm or involve law enforcement in any way.
- Report it. If a classmate is involved, report it to the school and make sure it will be taken seriously. If you witness a child being endangered or suspect criminal activity, notify local law enforcement.
- Offer support. If your child knows someone being bullied, they can help by documenting incidents, posting positive comments about that person, shifting the conversation in a positive direction or reaching out to express concern.
- Talk and listen. Keep talking to your child about what has happened — and keep listening. If you think professional support is needed, find a guidance counselor or mental health professional who can help your child cope with the situation.
Additional resources
Review these tips from UNICEF experts and information from apps and online gaming companies, including Facebook, Instagram, Roblox, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok and X.
The Cyberbullying Research Center provides information and resources like fact sheets for parents, descriptions of the most popular social media apps, a state-by-state map of laws and places to report bullying.
The Department of Health and Human Services site Stopbullying.gov has helpful tips on how to report cyberbullying as well as a guide on ways to prevent it.
If private images have been taken and shared online without permission, Take it Down can help get them removed.
Many companies offer good information on how to protect yourself and your child. Apple has detailed instructions on privacy and other settings for your child's devices. Google provides guidelines on appropriate behavior when communicating with others. The Interland gaming site turns digital safety lessons into hands-on practice.
Read more: 8 Strategies to Keep Your Child Safe — Online and Off
Related: How to Keep Your Child Safe from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse
