Preventing Cyberbullying

Children, parents, and educators all have a role in preventing cyberbullying

Children, parents, and educators all have a role in preventing cyberbullying.

What Children Can Do

Many of these points were adapted from National Crime Prevention Council 2003 and Media Awareness Network 2004:

• Guard your personal information. Never give out personal information online, whether in instant message profiles, chat rooms, blogs, or personal web sites.
• Never give out your passwords to anyone except your parents. That includes friends.
• If someone sends a mean or threatening message, don't respond. For a bully, a reaction constitutes victory. Instead, save the message or print it out and show it to an adult.
• Never open e-mails 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 e-mail.
• Don't send messages when you're angry. Before clicking "Send," ask yourself how you would feel if you received the message.
• Help kids who are bullied online by not joining in and showing bullying messages to an adult.

>> Next, what parents can do to prevent cyberbullying.