Keeping young people as safe as possible in respect to the online space can be as equally challenging as helping to keep them safe in the offline world. 

Sometimes things happen in the online space which cause distress to young people which can include Cyber Bullying therefore having suitable information and support can be vital to parents/carers when considering how to help a young person keep safe online in respect to this issue.

Cyberbullying, or online bullying, is when someone uses the internet to bully someone else. For a parent/carer ,if this situation presents itself, it can be challenging to know where to get the right advice and support to help your young person.

To help parents/carers with this situation below are some useful links you may wish to consider first to help you:

• Helping Children Deal with Bullying & Cyberbullying | NSPCC
• Cyber bullying advice | Bullying UK | Family Lives
• Online Bullying - UK Safer Internet Centre
• Cyberbullying - Childnet's Advice for Parents and Carers - UK Safer Internet Centre
• The National Bullying Helpline is open 9-5pm Monday to Friday call the helpline for advice and support on: 0300 323 0169 or visit: Cyberbullying | Bullying online advice (nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk)

Fostering resilience in a young person with assistance from trusted adults, can help them to thrive and flourish in online spaces and equip them with the skills to develop their own ways of protecting themselves against negative online experiences.

The basic principles of young people’s Digital Resilience are

• Understand - The  risks online and make informed decisions about their digital spaces
• Know – Where to go and what to do and how to seek help
• Learn and Adapt - individuals can reflect and learn from experiences and able to adapt their future choices
• Recover – Individuals are equipped with the confidence to recover from trauma and trusted relationships can offer strategies to help aid recovery

Discussing online safety concerns and knowledge with your child is one of the best safeguards there is, it really does develop resilience and is shown to have impact in their positive online decisions.

Look out for the signs of online bullying

Your child might be reluctant to tell you that they are worried about online bullying so it’s important to look out for the signs.

• Stopping using their electronic devices suddenly or unexpectedly.
• Seeming nervous or withdrawn when using their devices, or becoming obsessive about being constantly online.
• Any changes in behaviour such as becoming sad, withdrawn angry or lashing out.
• Reluctance to go to school or take part in usual social activities.
• Unexplained physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach upsets
• Avoiding discussions about what they are doing online or who they’re communicating with.