Cyberbullying is one of the most prevalent online harms experienced by children and adolescents.

So, what protective strategies can we put in place to help protect our loved ones from cyberbullying?

An evidence review was completed by the NSW Government in August 2024 which found that cyberbullying interventions are more effective if the child/adolescents’ broader social environments are also considered. Let’s look at the key points below.

Family:

• Children and adolescents with a positive family environment, greater parental warmth and more interaction with their parents are less likely to cyberbully or be cyberbullied
• Parental monitoring of online usage
• Parents having open discussions and co-creating rules for online usage with their child/adolescent
• Only restricting online usage does not appear effective and may increase the risk of cyberbullying others

School:

• Promoting a positive school climate
• Providing a sense of safety and belonging
• Clear rules, boundaries and follow through
• Staff who treat students with respect, fairness and kindness

Peer:

• Positive peer influence
• Greater belonging at school
• Feeling safe at school
• Social norms – cyberbullying not being an acceptable or appropriate norm

Individual:

• Individuals with higher self-esteem and/or better emotional management are less likely to cyberbully or be cyberbullied
• Individuals with higher empathy and more positive attitudes are less likely to cyberbully
• Individuals with greater self-awareness and more positive self-related attitude are protective factors for being cyberbullied but not for cyberbullying
• Spending less time online especially on their own devices in privacy

Overall, findings suggest that protecting children and adolescents from cyberbullying is more than just one person’s responsibility. Strategies to address Cyberbullying at different levels, involving multiple stakeholders (education system leaders, school leaders, parents/carers, community members, etc.) are needed. If you would like to read more on the evidence review you can here.

Remember, if you or someone you know is experiencing cyberbullying, follow these steps:

1. Collect evidence – take screenshots, note down the user profile, date/time it was shared and the URL
2. Report harmful content – Cyberbullying should be reported directly to the platform that was used to share the harmful content. If the platform does not remove the post then a report can be made to the e-safety commissioner for review: Report forms | eSafety Commissioner.
3. Prevent further contact – Do not respond, ignore, mute or block the user. Tighten your privacy settings.