What Can You Do When Your Kids Are Bullied on Facebook?

With the rise of social media like Facebook, cyber bullying has become more of a problem. DoSomething.org says that nearly 43 percent of kids have been bullied online, and that 1 in 4 has had it happen more than once. The site says that students who have been bullied are two to nine times more likely to commit suicide. If parents find out their children are being bullied on Facebook, it is important they take action to put an end to it as soon as possible.

  1. Talk to Your Children

    • Talk to your children about bullying to help them identify it and to know how to deal with it if it happens. A Platform for Good, which is a project of the Family Online Safety Institute, says that most kids don't intend to bully others, but that it is common for kids to say mean or hurtful things to each other. The site defines bullying as a person saying or doing something hurtful again and again, even when they have been asked to stop or know that it is causing upset. The National Centre Against Bullying in Australia recommends that kids who are being bullied not fight back but instead tell the bully to stop the harassment and to avoid places where they are likely to encounter the bully. In the case of Facebook, this means not being friends with the bully and not interacting with the bully on the pages of mutual friends or in groups.

    Report and Block the Bully

    • Facebook offers several options for limiting who sees what information on a profile. Your children can limit their posts so that only friends see them, instead of friends of friends. If your child is being bullied through Facebook, make sure his profile is available only to friends, and then remove the bully from his friends' list. Take the next step of blocking the bully. This will make it so your child and the bully do not see any status updates, comments or other activity from the other, even on the pages of mutual friends. Report the bully's profile to Facebook, including screen shots of any status updates or comments that were harassing your child. Facebook may suspend the profile for a limited time or remove the content.

    Talk to Authorities

    • If the bully attends the same school as your child, report the incident to school authorities. Some schools will intervene even if the bullying did not take place on school property. Depending on the specifics of the incident and the school's policies, school officials may recommend counseling for the student, or they may take disciplinary action, including suspension. If you know the bully, take the extra step of contacting his parents directly. Print out screen shots of the harassment, so there is no misunderstanding about what has taken place.

    Limit Technology as Necessary

    • Kids these days may live and breathe by texting, social networking and chatting, but cutting off access to this technology may be necessary if cyber bullying is getting out of control. Start by cutting off access to Facebook, either by prohibiting your child from visiting the site or by deleting his profile entirely. If the bullying follows him to other websites or to texting, consider cutting off access to those channels as well. This is not a punishment for your child. This is simply a way to put some distance between your child and the bully until you can resolve the situation.

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