Just like bullying in the “offline” world, cyberbullying can have detrimental and devastating effects on those at the receiving end.

 

As well as the warning signs associated with all forms of bullying, look out for the following symptoms in your children:

• Sadness, upset or anger during or after internet or mobile phone use.
• Indications that your child is the target of traditional bullying at school.
• A sudden disinterest in computers.
• Quickly switching off computer screens when somebody enters the room.    

In most cases, cyberbullies know their targets but their victims don’t always know the person bullying them. This can prove very isolating for the victim in group, club or school settings where they come to distrust all their peers.  

In addition to the usual reasons why victims refrain from speaking about bullying, those being cyberbullied are often afraid to report incidents as they fear that adults will take away their mobile phone or computer.