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Cyberbullying
What Parents Need To Know

What is Cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying occurs when a student is harassed,
threatened, humiliated, or embarrassed by another
student using the internet or a cell phone.
―When I was being cyberbullied, I felt like I never wanted to go out
of the house or talk to anyone again. It led me to depression, and
the person who was bullying me…believed that it was funny.‖
~ 17 year old student from New Jersey

Cyberbullying = High-Tech Cruelty
• ―Online aggression isn’t just traditional bullying with new
tools. It’s widespread, devastating, and knows no
downtime.‖
• ―I try to ignore her, but she turns everyone against me and
makes my life miserable. She spreads awful rumors about
me, and I just can’t take it.‖
~ 14 year old from Texas
Source: ―High-tech Cruelty‖ Educational Leadership. February 2011

Where Does Cyberbullying Occur?
• E-mail
• Text Messages
• Blogs
• Instant Messaging
• Chat Rooms
• Social Networking Websites
• Websites

Cyberbullying Prevalence
• 42% of kids have been bullied while online
• 35% of kids have been threatened while online
• 21% of kids have received mean or threatening
emails
• 53% of kids admit having said something mean
or hurtful to another kid online
• 58% of kids have not told their parents or an
adult about mean or hurtful things that
happened to them online. (info source: www.isafe.com from
2004)

Warning Signs:
Is My Child Being Cyberbullied?
• Child is visibly upset online or on cell
phone
• Child withdraws from friends or activities
• Child’s academic performance drops
• Child avoids school
• Child is a victim of traditional bullying at
school
• Child appears sad or depressed

Warning Signs:
Is My Child Being Cyberbullied?
• Child receives frequent text messages
• Child refuses to share email or text
messages
• Child has multiple e-mail accounts
• Child minimizes computer screen
• Child experiences a falling out with a
friend or ends a friendship

Impact of Cyberbullying
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Decrease in academic success
• Decrease in self-esteem
• Change in interpersonal relationships
• Substance abuse
• Loneliness
• Suicide

Repercussions of
Cyberbullying
• Victims often become cyberbullies
themselves.
• School consequences can include
social suspensions and/or in-school or
out of school suspensions.
• Cyberbullying can rise to the level of a
misdemeanor arrest (harassment
through electronic communications).

What If My Child Is Cyberbullied?
• Inform the child about blocking the
sender
• Do not delete messages
• Save the messages as evidence
• Report to the cell carrier or internet
provider
• Report to school and/or police

Help Protect Your Children
• Be active in your child’s life
• Discuss friends and relationships your child
has outside of school
• Request your child’s friendship on social
websites
• Maintain your own record of usernames and
passwords for social sites
• Educate your children on cyberbullying
• Install computer monitoring software

Educate Your Children on Cyber Safety
• NEVER give out personal / private
information online
• Ensure privacy and security settings on
social websites are appropriate
• Inform your children about the dangers of
cyberbullying

Computer Monitoring Software
• Monitor incoming and outgoing email and
instant messages
• Monitor websites visited and programs
opened
• Block or restrict access to certain types of
websites
• Save usernames and passwords
• Receive e-mail report of activity
• Allow remote viewing of activity

Computer Monitoring Software
• For example:
– Eblaster - $99.95
– Spector Pro $99.95
– Spy Agent $69.95
– Realtime Spy $79.95
– Netvizor $295.00
Note: Computer monitoring software is not available at retail
establishments. Check online.
We suggest you Google search, ―Computer Monitoring Software‖ for
a more extensive listing.

What are Social Networking Sites?
Some popular sites:

• Over 500 million active users
• Create profiles and send messages to other
users
• Share photos, videos, blogs, gossip, music,
and hobbies
• Play games such as Mafia Wars, Mobsters,
Vampire Wars, etc.

• Move the
cursor over
the ―Account‖
link
• A drop down
menu will
appear, select
―Privacy
Settings‖
Security on Facebook
Google search “Facebook security settings” or
www.facebook.com/help/?topic=privacy

• Choose ―Sharing‖
setting (i.e.
Everyone, Friends
of Friends, Friends
Only)
• Choose ―View
settings‖
Security on Facebook

• Select the desired
setting for each
drop down menu
Security on Facebook
• After selecting choices,
click ―Preview My
Profile‖

Blocking Friends on Facebook
• Under ―Account‖ select
―Edit Friends‖
• Under ―All Friends‖,
choose the friend to delete,
and h it the ―x‖ to the right
of the name.

Information Sources
www.ncpc.org: This site contains cyberbullying and Internet safety
information for parents. National Crime Prevention Council website
www.wiredsafety.org: Wired Safety provides Internet safety information
for children, tens, and adults. The webiste also has an important resource
for parents—a downloadable translator for cyber-lingo and acronyms used
by teens.
www.stopcyberbullying.org: Provides relevant cyberbullying
prevention and Internet safety information for parents, teachers, and police
officers, as well as children and youth.
www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov: Includes information for pre-teens and
adults regarding cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying.
www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org : Includes information concerning
cyberbullying, suicide, related speaking engagements.

Empower the Bystander
• Schools: Communicate intolerance of cyberbullying and
bullying with information and discussion
• Students: Speak up for other students, and report bullying
to a parent or adult
• Parents: Empower your child. Communicate with your
son or daughter. Listen, and act.
• Encouraging others to report cyberbullying can be a
potent force in stopping it.
• Info source: www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org

A Letter From A Victim
Dear Mom and Dad,
The first thing is, I love you mom and dad, but you didn’t understand why I had
to commit suicide. There was so much going on, and I tried to cope with it, but I
couldn’t take it anymore…It was horrible. Every day, I was teased and teased, everyone
calling me gay, fag, queer, and I would act like it didn’t bug me…But I was crying
inside me. It hurt so badly, because I wasn’t gay. And when people said it, my own
friends never back me up. They just laughed. I would pray to God every night for
everyone to stop saying that. I know that you are going to miss me and that you will
never forgive me, but you will never understand. You weren’t living my life. I hate
myself for doing this to you. I really, really hate myself, but there is no other way out
for me. Sure, I could have taken a gun and shot everyone in the head…but what would
the point be? I know I left my room messy. You can clean it if you want, but please
don’t sell or throw away anything. Even though I won’t be there, I still want that room.
It has to be my room.
I love you Mom and Dad. Please, please tell the people at the school why I did
this. I don’t want somebody to do what I have done. Mom, after my death please,
please go to schools and talk to kids that bullying and teasing has big consequences.
And tell them to please stop crying. That’s just my only wish and I hope people will
miss me. Please visit my grave often, so I’m not lonely.
-A letter from Hammed Nastoh
(Source-www.cbc.ca)