How to talk about cyberbullying with children

Practical conversation starters for parents

See how you can talk about cyberbullying with 6-10-year-olds to prevent bullying behaviours online.

Follow these quick tips to have a conversation about cyberbullying with 6-10-year-old.

One-off face-to-face conversations can ring alarm bells, so talk while out driving, over dinner or while out for a walk.

If your child is a target or has bullied someone else, stay calm. Ask questions and get all necessary information before acting.

If bullying happens, make sure to report and deal with it, and then make sure to follow up and check-in regularly.

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

Think carefully about allowing your child on social media as the minimum age on most networks is 13 years old
Cyberbullying can take place 24/7 and happens repeatedly on a range of apps, games and devices
Younger children can confuse any nasty comment or opinion as ‘bullying’ so their understanding of bullying can be different to that of adults
Bullying is a learnt behaviour – so it’s important to set a good example and regularly reinforce being a good digital citizen

Be engaged – Talk to your child about what they like to do online and what they know about how to stay safe
Be kind online – Being positive and respectful online is key to using the internet safely.
Know how to report – Make sure your child knows how to report cyberbullying if it happens to them or someone else

Make sure your child knows they can share anything that upsets them online with a trusted adult.
Never retaliate – remind your child that saying mean things back to a bully makes the situation worse
Save the evidence – encourage your child to save messages, photos and screenshots of online bullying as proof to show to a trusted adult
Explore the games and apps your child uses together and find report and block buttons to understand what they do

Listen and help – Allow your child to explain what has happened and talk about it before making judgements
Don’t deny access – It can be tempting to ban devices or using the internet to prevent the bullying but this isn’t a solution and can make a child feel worse
Know how to get help – Your child’s school can help you deal with cyberbullying and provide support and advice. If you feel the law has been broken then online bullying can also be reported to your local police force