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Responding to incidents of cyberbullying

Responding to incidents of cyberbullying

Schools that have a cyberbullying policy or procedure, should refer to that in the first instance. In the absence of any policy or procedure a school may follow its standard anti-bullying procedure, to deal with cyberbullying issues. School that do not have an effective anti-bullying procedure can follow the steps outlined below as an interim measure. Schools are encouraged to develop their own anti-cyberbullying policies and procedures. More detailed information to guide this process is provided in the Policies and procedures section of the Schools Gateway, including links to specific state and territory resources for use or adaptation by schools.

Interim cyberbullying protocol

  1. Ensure the student is safe and arrange support, including the involvement of student wellbeing. Support from student wellbeing staff should be provided on an ongoing basis with the agreement of the student and parent/carer to assist the student to work through the effects of the cyberbullying and to help them develop and implement effective coping strategies.
  2. Contact the student’s parents to alert them to the issue, and ongoing concerns regarding the welfare of the student, and request a meeting to discuss the issue and how best to deal with it.
  3. Reassure the student that the school is taking the incident seriously and that the reported bullying will be acted on.
  4. Gather basic facts about the suspected cyberbullying and, if possible, identify the students involved.
  5. Implement appropriate procedures to address the bullying using evidence-based responses such as restorative justice approaches to conflict resolution. These approaches seek to address bullying issues while providing support to both the victim and the bully. This approach to strengthen the school community and respect individuals. Examples of evidence-based approaches to address bullying are provided at Bullying. No Way!.
  6. Bear in mind that advising students to completely disengage from their online activities is not always helpful as this can also isolate them from supportive friends.
  7. Provide the following strategies to the student and parent to assist with managing the issue in the future.
  • Don’t respond to any further messages/postings from the bully and, if possible, block further correspondence from them (block their mobile number or email address).
  • Report any further correspondence from the bully to the parent and an agreed school contact (the child must feel comfortable talking to this person and feel heard and respected by this person).
  • Keep evidence of any bullying to assist with tracking down the bully and potentially reporting the matter to police (screen captures, bully’s screen name, text and images). If the student’s parents are concerned that the student will continue to look at the saved material and become more distressed, ask them to store the material in a folder with password protection.
  • Report any concerns to the administrator of the service used, including the mobile phone provider (if SMS is involved), website administrator (if social networking or chat services are involved), or internet service provider, as most have measures to assist with tracking and blocking the bully. Some block the bully’s access to their services entirely as bullying is often a breach of website terms of use.
  • If the student is distressed by the bullying, ensure they are provided with options for psychological support including school counselling and the Kids Helpline (phone 1800 551 800). Ensure they have appropriate and supportive contact people at schools and help them to develop strategies to manage their distress. Ensure parents are informed.