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Cyberbullying content warning

This page mentions cyberbullying and online harassment. If you are experiencing immediate stress, please stop and seek support.

For free, confidential 24/7 counselling contact the Beyond Blue Support Service online or call 1300 224 636.

Cyberbullying and mental health

Understand cyberbullying: resources to recognize and talk about bullying and harassment online

'Cyberbullying' is a form of bullying that occurs online through electronic communication such as social media, emails, gaming platforms, text messages and more.

This type of online harassment often reoccurs, meaning the person who is being bullied may receive many nasty messages over time.

What is cyberbullying?

Bullying is all about power. It’s when someone tries to make themselves feel bigger and stronger by putting someone else down. It can happen in various ways from physical violence to verbal insults. Bullying can also be deliberately leaving someone out of games or spreading rumours about them.

Cyberbullying can affect anyone – at any age – but most cases involve young people. It is different from in-person bullying because:

perpetrators can more easily remain anonymous
content can quickly reach a large audience
material can be difficult to remove
it can happen anytime, anywhere, and be harder to escape.

These factors contribute to cyberbullying being incredibly damaging to someone’s mental health and wellbeing. The stress caused can severely interfere with concentration at school or work.

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How to start a conversation about cyberbullying

If someone you care about is being bullied, it can be hard to chat with them about it. They might try to hide what’s happening or feel ashamed and afraid. Often, they just want the bullying to stop without confronting the issue or drawing attention to it.

If you’re unsure how to start a conversation with someone about cyberbullying, or they get angry and defensive, try to stay calm. Step back and think about how you could approach the topic differently next time in the hope of getting a better response.

How parents can talk to their child about cyberbullying

Talking to your child about cyberbullying can be confronting or uncomfortable.

As a first step, it can help to model positive, respectful and inclusive behaviour. This encourages them to act in these ways. It also helps them feel safe speaking up when something is wrong.

If you suspect cyberbullying is taking place, here are some things you can do.

If your child is being cyberbullied

Listen and provide support. Reassure them that you’re in this together.
Try to understand what occurred, how often, and how long it has been happening for.
Come up with some practical steps and strategies together – like who they can talk to and what they can do when the bullying is happening.
Report the harmful messages to the platform owner, and block the user or change the settings on your device so future messages can’t be seen. You can also report harmful content to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner.
Talk with your child’s teacher and ask for support. Keep talking with the school until your child feels safe.
Encourage your child to talk openly about what’s happening and how this is making them feel. You could encourage them to see a health professional to talk things through.

If your child tells you about cyberbullying they’ve seen or heard about at school

Support your child in reporting what they’ve seen or heard to school staff.
Encourage them to show kindness to the child who is being bullied.

If your child is doing the cyberbullying

Make sure your child knows bullying behaviour is unacceptable, and why
Try to understand the reasons why your child has behaved in this way and look for ways to address their problems.
Encourage them to think about the other person’s perspective, such as “how would you feel if …”
Help your child think of alternative ways of dealing with situations and communicating their feelings.
Consider speaking with a health professional so you can provide a safe space for your child to process their feelings and actions

To help prevent cyberbullying

Supervise your children’s use of electronic devices.
Talk to them about staying safe online. It can help to remind them that the internet is still real life, and you should behave the same (and expect the same behaviour from others) as you would in person

Valuable information and resources for parents

The eSafety Commissioner is a trusted government authority dedicated to helping parents and carers keep children safe online. Find tips and advice about online safety challenges and how to help your child have positive online experiences.

Visit the eSafety Commissioners website

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