What can you do about it?

While other forms of bullying remain prevalent, cyberbullying is already a significant issue for many young people. School staff, parents and young people need to work together to prevent this and to tackle it whenever it occurs.

If you're a school governor or headteacher
Schools have a duty to ensure that:

• bullying via mobile phone or the Internet is included in their mandatory anti-bullying policies, that these policies are regularly updated, and that teachers have sufficient knowledge to deal with cyberbullying in school
• the curriculum teaches pupils about the risks of new communications technologies, the consequences of their misuse, and how to use them safely
• all e-communications used on the school site or as part of school activities off-site are monitored
• clear policies are set about the use of mobile phones at school and at other times when young people are under the school's authority
• Internet blocking technologies are continually updated and harmful sites blocked
• they work with pupils and parents to make sure new communications technologies are used safely, taking account of local and national guidance and good practice
• security systems are in place to prevent images and information about pupils and staff being accessed improperly from outside school
• they work with police and other partners on managing cyberbullying.

Accessible help

• A quarter of the young people who had been cyberbullied said that knowing how to get hold of and speak to an expert at dealing with cyberbullying would have made a difference.
• Knowing there was a staff member at school dedicated to stopping bullying was cited by 15% as a help.
• 13% said that knowing of a website with advice and tips would have helped them.

NCH/Tesco Mobile survey, 2005

A key way of supporting children who are being bullied is to establish good links between schools and counselling organisations.

• Make sure parents are kept informed of the school standards and policies so that they can be applied at home as well as at school. Ensure that parents know about schools' rights to monitor their child's e-communications.
• Research recommends that young people themselves should be involved in developing new anti-bullying strategies.
• Becta has invaluable information on devising and communicating school Internet safety policies.
• The DfES's bullying site has useful information and resources for parents and families, young people and teachers, including ideas for schools to consider to combat bullying.
• www.antibullying.net/cyberbullying1.htm has suggestions for a code of conduct for schools to introduce to pupils.

If you're a member of staff
Make sure you're familiar with your role and responsibilities in:

• teaching children safe Internet etiquette
• applying school policy in monitoring electronic messages and images
• giving pupils key guidance on:
  • personal privacy rights
  • material posted on any electronic platform
  • photographic images
• taking action if a pupil is being cyberbullied or is bullying someone else
• teaching pupils the value of e-communications and the risks and consequences of improper use, including the legal implications

Keep up a dialogue with parents about emerging technologies their child might be using.

Ensure parents know what steps to take if they suspect that their child is being cyberbullied or is bullying someone else.

Secondary school teachers can download an information pack from www.stoptextbully.com including a classroom quiz, poster and top tips to help tackle cyberbullying.

www.childnet-int.org has a DVD for secondary schools about keeping safe in online chat rooms. They are currently distributing free Internet safety leaflets for parents to primary schools. Order at www.childnet-int.org/order.

www.cybersmartcurriculum.org has lesson plans for teachers on dealing with online bullies.

The Kidscape booklet 'Don't Bully Me!' gives advice to primary school children on what to do if they are bullied.

If you're a parent

• A fifth of parents think that mobile bullying isn’t common or never happens, despite the fact that a similar proportion of young people have experienced it.
• As with face-to-face bullying, it’s not unusual for young people suffering cyberbullying to keep silent about it.
• With cyberbullying, there’s the added apprehension about internet access or their mobile phone - often their most treasured possession - being removed from them altogether if they own up to a problem.

NCH/Tesco Mobile survey, 2005

Cyberbullying in all its forms should be stopped. No one should be subjected to it, least of all your child.

• Don't wait for something to happen before you act. Make sure your child understands how to use these technologies safely and knows about the risks and consequences of misusing them.
• Make sure they know what to do if they or someone they know are being cyberbullied.
• Encourage your child to talk to you if they have any problems with cyberbullying. If they do have a problem, contact the school, the mobile network or the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to do something about it.
• Parental control software can limit who your child sends emails to and who he or she receives them from. It can also block access to some chat rooms.
• Moderated chat rooms are supervised by trained adults. Your Internet service provider will tell you whether they provide moderated chat services.
• Visit www.nch.org.uk for more information on Internet safety.

Schools can help parents by:

• A Home-School agreement that includes clear statements about e-communications
• Regular briefing for parents on:
  • e-communication standards and practices in schools
  • what to do if problems arise
  • what’s being taught in the curriculum
• Support for parents and pupils if cyberbullying occurs by:
  • assessing the harm caused
  • identifying those involved
  • taking steps to repair harm and to prevent recurrence

If you're being bullied by phone or the Internet

Remember, bullying is never your fault. It can be stopped and it can usually be traced.

• Don't ignore the bullying. Tell someone you trust, such as a teacher or parent, or call an advice line.
• Try to keep calm. If you are frightened, try to show it as little as possible. Don't get angry, it will only make the person bullying you more likely to continue.

There's plenty of online advice on how to react to cyberbullying. For example, www.kidscape.org and www.wiredsafety.org have some useful tips:

Text/video messaging

You can easily stop receiving text messages for a while by turning off incoming messages for a couple of days. This might stop the person texting you by making them believe you've changed your phone number. To find out how to do this, visit www.wiredsafety.org.

If the bullying persists, you can change your phone number. Ask your mobile service provider (such as Orange, O2, Vodafone or T-Mobile).

Don't reply to abusive or worrying text or video messages. Your mobile service provider will have a number for you to ring or text to report phone bullying. Visit their website for details.

Don't delete messages from cyberbullies. You don't have to read them, but you should keep them as evidence.

Text harassment is a crime. If the calls are simply annoying, tell a teacher, parent or carer. If they are threatening or malicious and they persist, report them to the police, taking with you all the messages you've received.

Phone calls

• If you get an abusive or silent phone call, don't hang up immediately. Instead, put the phone down and walk away for a few minutes. Then hang up or turn your phone off. Once they realise they can't get you rattled, callers usually get bored and stop bothering you.
• Always tell someone else: a teacher, youth worker, mum or dad, or carer. Get them to support you and monitor what's going on.
• Don't give out personal details such as your phone number to just anyone. And never leave your phone lying around. When you answer your phone, just say 'hello', not your name. If they ask you to confirm your phone number, ask what number they want and then tell them if they've got the right number or not.
• You can use your voicemail to vet your calls. A lot of mobiles display the caller's number. See if you recognise it. If you don't, let it divert to voicemail instead of answering it. And don't leave your name on your voicemail greeting. You could get an adult to record your greeting. Their voice might stop the caller ringing again.
• Almost all calls nowadays can be traced.
• If the problem continues, think about changing your phone number.
• If you receive calls that scare or trouble you, make a note of the times and dates and report them to the police. If your mobile can record calls, take the recording too.

Emails

• Never reply to unpleasant or unwanted emails ('flames') — the sender wants a response, so don't give them that satisfaction.
• Keep the emails as evidence. And tell an adult about them.
• Ask an adult to contact the sender's Internet Service Provider (ISP) by writing abuse@ and then the host, e.g. abuse@hotmail.com
• Never reply to someone you don't know, even if there's an option to 'unsubscribe'. Replying simply confirms your email address as a real one.

Web bullying

If the bullying is on a school website, tell a teacher or parent, just as you would if the bullying were face-to-face.

If you don't know the owner of the website, follow one of the online safety links below to find out how to get more information about the owner.

Chat rooms and instant messaging

• Never give out your name, address, phone number, school name or password online. It's a good idea to use a nickname. And don't give out photos of yourself.
• Don't accept emails or open files from people you don't know.
• Remember it might not just be people your own age in a chat room.
• Stick to public areas in chat rooms and get out if you feel uncomfortable.
• Tell your parents or carers if you feel uncomfortable or worried about anything that happens in a chat room.
• Think carefully about what you write; don't leave yourself open to bullying.

Three steps to stay out of harms way

1. Respect other people - online and off. Don’t spread rumours about people or share their secrets, including their phone numbers and passwords.
2. If someone insults you online or by phone, stay calm – and ignore them.
3. ‘Do as you would be done by.’ Think how you would feel if you were bullied. You’re responsible for your own behaviour – make sure you don’t distress other people or cause them to be bullied by someone else.

The law is on your side

The Protection from Harassment Act, the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and Section 43 of the Telecommunications Act may be used to combat cyberbullying. People may be fined or sent to prison for up to six months.

For more information, see http://wiredsafety.org/gb/stalking/index.html