1. Cyberbullies are similar to school or neighborhood bullies, except that they do their bullying online and have the capability of bullying without others knowing who they are. They can also attract a wider audience for their actions.
2. You should help your children differentiate between teasing that goes on among friends and teasing that elevates into bullying.
3. Bullying may include continuous teasing, harassment, or threats. It may come through email, Instant Messages, text messages, chat conversations, Websites, or other ways kids communicate online or on telephones.
4. Often children who are bullied (online and offline) do not want to tell their parents or teachers about it because they are embarrassed. They think they have done something to deserve the bullying. If you notice a change in your children's behavior such as not wanting to go to school, not wanting to see friends, not wanting to go online or spending all their time online, looking unhappy, overly worried about appearance, etc., these may be signs that your children are being bullied. (These, of course, may be signs of other problems that your children are facing.)
5. Talk with your children about their activities online. Remind them not to give out personal information because bullies can use this information against them. If they play games or chat online, someone they don't know might harass them. Many times, however, cyberbullies are kids your children know who think it's funny to send unpleasant email, post unkind things on a Website, to send unbecoming photos through a cell phone, divulge your children's secrets—you get the idea.
6. You can't always tell who the cyberbully is. Online in games and chat rooms, a bully can be just about anonymous. You never know when a bully might send a note using someone else's account. Talk with your children about people they meet online and how to deal with those who are unkind. Stress the importance of not giving out their passwords, even to those they consider their best friends. With your children's passwords, bullies can make it look like your children are the bullies.
7. Let your children know that it is not their fault if a cyberbully goes after them. You should insist that they tell you or their teacher right away if they encounter a bully.
8. The first step in dealing with a bully is to ignore what the bully is doing. Bullies like to get attention, and if they don't get it, they may stop. If they can't get a reaction out of your children, they may not go after them again. If ignoring doesn't work, parents and teachers (if your children's school is involved) should work together to find the source of the bullying and deal with those involved. If the bullying involves a social networking site, site officials will work with parents to solve the problem. If the bullying is at the threatening level, the police should be informed.
9. If your children are being bullied, have them save all evidence. While they'll be tempted to erase nasty things that are written or published about them, remind them that school authorities and the police will want evidence. They should print what they can and take down the date and time of when they received a message or saw a Website.
10. Keep in mind that your children may be cyberbullies. Kids may think it's cool to make fun of someone who is not in their social group. Often they do not realize what problems they are causing for those they are bullying—and they do not consider what they are doing bullying. Talk with your children about respect for others and let them know the consequences of improper behavior.

• Power to Learn Internet Smarts: Cyberbullies
• Wired Safety
• Cyberbullying
• Internet Superheroes: Cyberbullying
• Mail Tracker
• Parry Aftab: Cyberbullying
• Power to Learn Internet Smarts: Keeping Information Private

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