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What's different about cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is different to other forms of bullying as it can occur 24/7. The target can be reached far beyond the playground and can even receive bullying messages or materials when they’re at home.

The audience to the bullying can be large and reached very quickly and easily if messages are circulated or materials posted online. Evidence of cyberbullying, for example in the form of texts or emails, can be very useful when telling someone and reporting incidents. 

Sometimes cyberbullying can occur as a result of not thinking about the consequences of messages posted or images sent, and so can be unintentional. It is important for your child to learn to respect and look after their friends online and to think before they post.

Methods of cyberbullying

Cyberbullying happens over the internet and mobile phones. It is harder to prevent because on the internet people can use different names in chat rooms, or send seemingly anonymous messages from temporary accounts. The most common methods of cyberbullying include:

• chat rooms, blogs and forums – although many of these are moderated, people involved in discussions can be sent abusive responses
• text messaging – abusive and threatening texts can be sent to mobile phones
• picture and video clip messaging – offensive images can be sent to mobile phones
• email – new addresses can be set up in minutes and used to send offensive messages and images
• social networking and personal websites – offensive or humiliating messages and images can be posted in the relevant sections of these sites, and fake profiles can be set up pretending to be someone else
• Instant Messenger – quicker than email, this allows users to have 'real time' conversations, and offensive messages or content can be sent in this way
  
• webcams – usually used to view each other when chatting online, children can also be sent abusive images or encouraged to act in an inappropriate way while being filmed
• Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) – abusers can use the various forms of online software used by schools to enable staff and pupils to interact with each other to send offensive images and messages
• video hosting sites – children may be accidentally exposed to pornographic images or even find themselves the subject of films being shown
• gaming sites, consoles and virtual worlds – chatting is possible within many games, and name calling, abusive remarks and picking on particular players can occur

What parents can do

As with other types of bullying it is important for parents to listen to their child and react with sympathy. Children should know that bullying is always wrong and that seeking help is the right thing to do.

Try the following tips to help keep your child safe from abuse:

• encourage them to talk to you about anything that’s upsetting them and be alert to them seeming upset after using the internet or their mobile phone
• try to understand the ways in which they are using the internet and their mobile phone
• make sure they only use moderated chat rooms
• get them to show you any abusive or offensive emails or messages they’ve received and keep a record of them
  
• report any abuse to their school, the internet service provider, the website manager/moderator, the mobile phone company or the police
  
• tell them never to respond to any abusive messages or calls – this is frequently what the abuser wants
  
• tell them to keep their passwords safe and to avoid giving their name, email address or mobile phone number to people outside their circle of friends and family
  
• change email address or telephone number if the abuse continues
  
• turn on in-built internet safety features and install computer software to ensure that you only receive emails from people you have chosen and to block unwanted images

• Cyberbullying - advice for young people (young people section)

More useful links

• Teach your child about internet safety at The Internet Cafe on Directgov Kids Opens new window