Guidelines to follow if a child is being cyberbullied. You must act quickly and show the child confidence and commitment to the issue.
In the event of detecting a case of cyberbullying, it is very important to act quickly and effectively, since we must protect our child and put an end to the conduct of the bullies, who could be acting against other children.
Sometimes it is difficult to know who the stalker is, since they tend to remain anonymous thanks to new technologies.
It will not be difficult for harassers to use fake names or impersonate other people.
► How to act in case of cyberbullying?
1. In the event that we do have the name of the harasser, we must inform their parents, and in the event that they go to the same school as our son, we must also notify the educational center so that they can take the appropriate measures.
2. If it is unknown who the harasser is, it will be necessary for us to contact the administrators of the electronic services that you use to harass our child and request information about it.
3. In the event that the administrators of the Internet pages cannot provide us with this information, we can report the harassment to the security forces and bodies.
► How to help our son if he is a victim of cyberbullying?
1. We must establish constant and very fluid communication with the child, trying to make them trust us and talk openly about what has happened.
2. Avoid feeling guilty about the situation.
3. Show us by your side and make you understand that we are here to help you solve your problem.
4. If the child does not want to talk, we can turn to their friends for more information; show you that we are here to help you.
5. Finally, if our son is the harasser and not the victim, we must act with equal urgency and show him that we are not going to consent to this type of action.
We will never cover your actions or mask what you have done.
Educating him that abuse is a totally reprehensible action formula is basic.
Font: SOS Guide against Cyberbullying of the National Institute of Communication Technologies (INTECO) – child guide