Parents can help stop cyberbullying. You can start by talking to kids about the issue.

Parents can help stop cyberbullying. Talk to your kids about the issue and teach them the rules below.

What Kids Need to Know:

  • Never give out personal information online.
  • Never tell anyone but your parents your password, even friends.
  • If someone sends a mean or threatening message, don’t respond. Save it or print it out and show it to an adult.
  • Never open emails from someone you don’t know or from someone you know is a bully.
  • Don’t put anything online that you wouldn’t want your classmates to see, even in email.
  • Don’t send messages when you’re angry. Before clicking “send,” ask yourself how you would feel if received the message.
  • Help kids who are bullied online by not joining in and showing bullying messages to an adult.
  • Always be as polite online as you are in person.

It’s important that parents know about cyberbullying and that they get involved in preventing it.

What Parents Can Do

  • Keep your home computer in a busy area of your house.
  • Set up email and chat accounts with your children.
  • Discuss cyberbullying with your children and ask if they have ever experienced it or seen it happen to someone.
  • Tell your children that you won’t blame them if they are cyberbullied. Emphasize that you won’t take away their computer privileges – this is the main reason kids don’t tell adults when they are cyberbullied.