Cyberbullying: A Guide for Children and Families

What cyberbullying can look like

Cyberbullying is harmful behaviour carried out through digital services. Examples can include repeated insulting messages, spreading rumours, impersonating someone, deliberately excluding someone from online groups, or sharing humiliating material. A disagreement or one rude comment is not always the same as a sustained pattern of bullying, but any threatening or serious incident still deserves attention.

What to do if you are being cyberbullied

1. Do not respond while angry or frightened. A rapid reply can escalate the situation.
2. Save useful evidence. Screenshots, usernames, dates, URLs and messages may help a platform, school or authority understand what happened.
3. Block and report. Use the service’s built-in tools after preserving what you need.
4. Tell someone you trust. A parent, caregiver, teacher or another trusted adult can help decide what should happen next.
5. Escalate serious cases. Threats, stalking, extortion, account compromise or other potentially criminal behaviour should be taken to the appropriate official reporting channel.

If your friend is being targeted

Do not like, repost or circulate humiliating content, even if you are trying to defend the person. Ask what support they want, help them preserve evidence, report the content and encourage them to involve a trusted adult. Public arguments can sometimes amplify the material rather than remove it.

What schools and adults can do

• Take reports seriously and avoid blaming the child for using technology.
• Separate evidence collection from repeated exposure to harmful content.
• Use clear school policies consistently.
• Support both immediate safety and longer-term wellbeing.
• Teach bystanders how to avoid amplifying harmful material.