Bullying is behaviour that hurts another person. This can involve either insulting the person directly, spreading rumours or undermining someone, or it can be physical. Whether its pushing or hitting someone. These can happen anywhere – whether it’s at school or at home. Cyberbullying is a strand of this that happens online.

Cyberbullying is more of following a child around when they’re online. This can be through social media, gaming, tracking their location to hurt them in real life, and using their mobile phone. This also includes sending abusive text messages or shaming a person. Someone might start creating fake accounts, sending explicit messages or sharing embarrassing photos or videos.

You should teach your child about cyberbullying and how it can affect others, as well as how to avoid it. Here are some tips this private school in London has shared with us.

Explain to your child what to look out for

Your child might not be able to pinpoint straight away what to do when they’re being bullied. Or even identify when they could be being bullied. With that in mind, show your child what to look out for and tell them when they should flag something to you. Make them feel at ease when you’re doing this, and remind them often that being bullied is not a sign of weakness from your child.

Provide them with a list of people they could talk to if they’re in distress

Your child might not want to talk to you, or you might not be around to help your child (for example, they’re at school). Give them a list of people they could talk to if they feel upset – whether it’s a written list they can pull out of their bag or a list they can memorise when they need to refer to it. Choose trusted individuals like teachers they like, heads of departments or their grandparents, and others that look over them and see them often.