16 November 2009

The theme of Anti-Bullying Week 2009 (16-20 November) is Cyberbullying. Recent research carried out for ABA found that: 

• 89 per cent of parents of 8-14 year-olds agreed that cyberbullying is as serious as other forms of bullying
• Only 46 per cent of the same group had talked to their children about how to protect themselves 
• 61 per cent of year 6 pupils said they thought a good way to stop cyberbullying would be for parents and carers to know how to deal with it.

ABA have produced a briefing for parents and carers [PDF 178KB], which contains practical ideas on how to respond to cyberbullying and prevent it happening in the first place.

The following tips can help parents protect children and young people:

• Know which websites your children visit and help them find the ‘report abuse’ or ‘block sender’ options so they can feel in control
• Tell your children not to reply to unpleasant messages
• Urge them to keep evidence – not to delete bullying texts, emails or posts on social networking sites
• Make sure they act thoughtfully in cyberspace  – comments and photos can stay online forever and texts can be forwarded widely
• Ensure they protect their password to keep their files and information safe
• Encourage them to take action and talk to you if they are cyberbullied
• Tell them not to give out personal details such as mobile number, address or email online
• Regularly check and clean their ‘friends’ lists on social networking sites
• Tell them to keep evidence - callers and mailers can be traced

If you are concerned about your child you can contact one of the organisations listed below for support and advice:

Parentline Plus: 0808 800 2222
Immediate support and advice for parents, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Parentline Plus also have a website for parents, who are worried about bullying in their children's lives 

Kidscape: 08451 205 204
Provide a helpline for parents and carers of bullied children, open 10am to 4pm Monday–Friday.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)
Provides help and advice on cyberbullying, the Centre maintains a website for children and young people, and parents and carers about staying safe online.

Childnet International 
A non-profit organisation which works around online safety. Their website includes resources and advice for parents.

Beatbullying
Charity which works with schools and young people to tackle bullying. Their Cybermentors site is a place where young people can support and help each other deal with bullying or other problems. Beatbullying provide advice for parents on their website.

ABA has produced a web-based short guide for parents, carers and other adults who want to know more about bullying and how to tackle it. Keep an Eye On It [PDF 881KB] was developed in collaboration with other organisations and with the input of young people.