Cyberbullying: this is what you can do.

Cyberbullying puts a lot of pressure on your child. It is logical that you want to stop it as soon as possible. But where do you start? How do you stop cyberbullying? And which steps do you need to take?

Ask for help

Do not be afraid to ask for help. Cyberbullying is very serious and hard to solve. You can ask the following organizations for help:

• Meldknop
• Helpwanted
• GGD
• Police (if it concerns threats, discrimination, hacking, stalking or other crimes)

Collect evidence of the cyberbullying

Although it is difficult, to fight cyberbullying you need to save and keep hurtful messages and photos. This gives you an overview of the bullying and when it happens. This information is useful for talking with school.

How do you collect evidence? At least do this:

• Write down when the bullying happens: day, time, and who does it.
• Make screenshots of unwanted messages, photos, videos, and fake online profiles.
• Save WhatsApp chats and unwanted emails.
• Save other digital data like usernames, email addresses, and IP addresses.
• Do not respond to the messages, however hard that is.
• Use the report button if possible, so the platform knows about the hurtful messages. Ask others to do the same.
• Write down what your child has done to stop bullying and what effect it had.

You can help your child secure social media accounts. Block bullies and protect the accounts.

Talk with school

Have a talk with school. It is useful to have a clear overview of what happened but this is not necessary. You can talk with school as soon as you see the first signs. You and your child can go to the contact person for bullying or the trusted person at school.

Discuss what school can do and make clear agreements. At least make agreements about school actions, who your child can go to safely, and how you will keep contact. Plan a follow-up meeting right away.