How to talk about cyberbullying with teens
Practical conversation starters for parents
See how you can talk about cyberbullying with children aged 14+ to prevent bullying behaviours online.

Quick tips
Follow these quick tips to have a conversation about cyberbullying with your teenager.
Talk somewhere neutral
One-off face-to-face conversations can ring alarm bells, so talk while out driving, over dinner or while out for a walk.
Stay calm
If your child is a target or has bullied someone else, stay calm. Ask questions and get all necessary information before acting.
Check in regularly
If bullying happens, make sure to report and deal with it, and then make sure to follow up and check-in regularly.
Explore the full guide
- Think about when and where best to talk to them – in the car or a neutral place where they feel safe
- Jot down what you want to say to focus your mind, and make the conversation relevant to them
- Be open and encouraging to make them feel supported
- Have a few bite sized conversations to give them time to process
- Having an honest relationship with your child is the first step in being able to tackle cyberbullying
- Talk to them about their digital lives, just as you would their offline lives
- A large majority of young people that have experienced bullying will never tell anyone or report it because of fear that it will not be taken seriously
- Ditch the Label research found that those who have experienced bullying themselves are also twice as likely to go on and bully others
- Bullying is a learnt behaviour – so it’s important to set a good example and regularly reinforce being a good digital citizen
- 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
- Bring digital experiences up into normal, everyday conversations
- Remember, there is often little distinction between what your children do online and offline
- Remind your child that they should always treat others as they want to be treated
- 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
- 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
- Talk about how they would deal with seeing someone else being bullied and what steps to take
- Help them to understand that their behaviour in online environments should reflect their offline behaviour
- Check to see if they’re aware of how to report or block people on the apps they use
- Make them aware of places to turn for help like Ditch The Label who have a dedicated online support hub and community available at www.DitchtheLabel.org
- Encourage your child to set high privacy settings and not to connect with anybody they don’t know offline
- Help them gain the social and critical skills they need to navigate the online world
- Listen to what they have to say and make sure they know you are taking it seriously
- Help them feel empowered and supported to deal with the situation
- Ask them how you can help them, or what steps they want to take next
- Collect evidence and together assess how serious the cyberbullying is by the impact it has had on your child
- Report and block the perpetrator to the site’s administrators/moderators
- 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
- Check in with them regularly
- Be involved in their digital life, ask them to show you the apps/games they use
- Be aware of the signs of cyberbullying and keep an eye on their behaviour
- Create an environment where they feel safe to talk to you or a trusted adult about what they may be going through