Cyberbullying – bullying online or through social media apps —is becoming more prevalent. Here are some signs to watch out for and what to do if you think it’s happening with your kid(s):
- Look for warning signs such as: an increase in device/social media use, hiding device use in your presence, emotional responses after using a device (sadness, anger), avoidance of social situations that they once enjoyed, abrupt changes to their social media profiles.
- Tips to combat cyberbullying: keep device use limited to common areas of the home, talk with your kids about bullying and what it may look like on social media, provide support so they know they can come to you, don’t overreact or remove their device and instead talk through possible solutions to empower them, document the bullying by taking screenshots of the bullying and keeping a record of what happened, inform school administrators if bullying is coming from classmates, and if there is a potential threat to safety, take the documentation to law enforcement. Lastly, provide reassurance and support to your child while you navigate this challenge together.
