Talking to teens

Aggressive behaviour

Self-isolation

Lack of appetite

Hesitancy to go to school

Over consumption of the internet and online games

Sudden behavioural changes

Visible signs of self-harm

Have regular conversations

Bring digital experiences up into normal, everyday conversations

Remember, there is often little distinction between what your children do online and offline

Encourage respect

Remind your child that they should always treat others as they want to be treated

Use the news

Talk to them about any prominent cases of cyberbullying in the media and any trending apps or platforms as a starting point to discuss the issue

Talk about consequences

Discuss the potential consequences of what they say and do online, along with the ‘stickiness’ of the web. Once it’s out there, it’s very difficult to remove content

How to be an upstander

Talk about how they would deal with seeing someone else being bullied and what steps to take

Promote positive behaviour

Help them to understand that their behaviour in online environments should reflect their offline behaviour

Report and block

Check to see if they’re aware of how to report or block people on the apps they use

Help from others

Make them aware of places to turn for help like Ditch The Label who have a dedicated online support hub and community available at DitchtheLabel.org

Develop digital literacy

Help them gain the social and critical skills they need to navigate the online world

Listen

Listen to what they have to say and make sure they know you are taking it seriously

Empower

Help them feel empowered and supported to deal with the situation

Ask questions

Ask them how you can help them, or what steps they want to take next

Get evidence

Collect evidence and together assess how serious the cyberbullying is by the impact it has had on your child

Report and block

Report and block the perpetrator to the site’s administrators / moderators

Understand their actions

If they are the perpetrator, help them understand the impact of their actions, what to do to deal with consequences and change their behaviour. It’s also important to show you understand why they are behaving in such a way