What is the difference between cyberbullying and a one-off argument online?

Cyberbullying involves repeated, deliberate behaviour intended to hurt, intimidate, or humiliate. A single disagreement or unkind comment, while unpleasant, is not necessarily bullying. If the behaviour is persistent or targeted, it crosses into cyberbullying.

Should I take my child's phone away if they are being cyberbullied?

Removing a child's device can feel like a punishment and may discourage them from telling you about future problems. Instead, work together to block the bully, adjust privacy settings, and report the content. Keep the lines of communication open.

What are the signs my child is being cyberbullied?

Look for distress or withdrawal during or after using their device, reluctance to go to school or to activities they used to enjoy, and sudden changes in friendship groups. On the device, watch for secretive deleting of messages or history, a spike in notifications followed by upset, or new alternative accounts. Because it happens out of sight, a change in mood is often the first thing you'll notice.

Is cyberbullying against the law in the UK?

There is no single offence called "cyberbullying", but the behaviour can break several laws — sending grossly offensive or threatening messages can be an offence under the Communications Act and the Malicious Communications Act, and persistent targeting can amount to harassment. If a child is in immediate danger call 999; otherwise report to the platform and the school first, and to the police on 101 if there are threats. See /reporting for the decision tree.

Should I contact the other child's parents or the school?

When the bully is a classmate, the school is usually the right first port of call — schools in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have a legal duty to have an anti-bullying policy, and bullying that starts online often spills into the school day. Approaching the other parents directly can escalate things, so it's often better to let the school mediate. Save your evidence before you make contact.

How do I keep evidence of cyberbullying?

Take screenshots that show the message, the sender's username or account, and the date and time before you block or report — once you block someone you may lose access to the history. Keep them in one folder or note. Evidence matters if you need to involve the school, the platform, or the police, and it stops a "my word against theirs" situation.

Can my child be bullied through games and group chats, not just social media?

Yes — gaming voice and text chat, group chats, and messaging apps are among the most common places it happens, precisely because they feel private and fast-moving. Deliberately freezing a child out of a group chat, or piling on in a game lobby, is cyberbullying just as much as a public post. The same steps apply: keep evidence, block and report in-app, and tell an adult.

What if my child is the one doing the bullying?

It's more common than parents expect, and children often don't see group pile-ons or 'banter' as bullying. Stay calm, look at the specific messages together, and focus on the impact on the other child rather than shaming your own. Agree how they'll put it right, and treat it as a chance to teach empathy and digital responsibility — not just a punishment.

How can I support my child's mental health after cyberbullying?

Reassure them repeatedly that it wasn't their fault and that telling you was the right thing. Watch sleep, mood, and appetite in the weeks after, and keep talking without forcing it. If distress persists, your GP, the school's pastoral team, or Childline (0800 1111) can help, and YoungMinds offers guidance for worried parents. Taking the harassment seriously and acting on it is itself protective.

Online

Cyberbullying

Understanding cyberbullying, recognising the signs, and practical steps to protect your child from online harassment and intimidation.

Cyberbullying is the use of digital technology, such as messaging apps, social media, or games, to deliberately and repeatedly threaten, humiliate, or exclude a child.

Ages 8-10 Ages 11-13 Ages 14-16 Ages 17-plus

What is this?

Cyberbullying is repeated harmful behaviour carried out through digital devices such as phones, tablets, and computers. It can happen via text messages, social media, gaming platforms, or any online space where children interact. Unlike face-to-face bullying, it can follow a child home and continue around the clock.

How it works

Cyberbullies may send threatening messages, share embarrassing images, create fake profiles to humiliate someone, or deliberately exclude a child from group chats. Because digital content can be shared rapidly and widely, the impact can escalate quickly. Anonymity online can also embolden behaviour that a person might not display in person.

Warning signs

In your child

• Becoming visibly upset, withdrawn, or anxious during or after using their device
• Reluctance to go to school or take part in activities they previously enjoyed
• Unexplained changes in friendship groups or sudden avoidance of social situations

On their device

• Deleting messages, apps, or browsing history frequently and secretively
• Receiving a high volume of notifications followed by visible distress
• Creating new or alternative social media accounts without explanation

Prevention steps

Make the no-blame promise out loud

5 minutes

Tell your child, in as many words, that they will never lose their phone for telling you someone is being cruel online. Fear of confiscation is the single biggest reason children hide cyberbullying, so removing that fear now is what gets you told later.

Set up blocking and reporting together

Tonight

Sit with your child and turn on blocking, muting, and reporting on every app they actually use, and restrict who can message them. Knowing exactly where the buttons are makes them far more likely to act early rather than suffer in silence.

Agree a family digital agreement

This weekend

Set clear, shared expectations about respectful online behaviour — including not sharing others' photos without consent, and what to do if they witness someone else being bullied. Writing it together, not imposing it, makes it stick.

What to do if it happens

1Listen calmly and reassure your child that it is not their fault and that you are glad they told you.
2Save screenshots and records of the bullying as evidence before blocking or reporting the person responsible.
3Report the behaviour to the platform, the school, and if threats are involved, to the police via 101 or CEOP.

If you need to report this

In immediate danger: call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101.

Concerned about a child but it's not an emergency? NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000. Childline for young people 0800 1111.

See all UK reporting pathways

This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.

The picture in the UK

847,000

children aged 10 to 15 in England and Wales (19.1%) experienced an online bullying behaviour in the year ending March 2023.

Office for National Statistics, 2023

22.5%

of girls aged 10 to 15 in England and Wales experienced online bullying behaviours in the year ending March 2023, compared with 16.0% of boys.

Office for National Statistics, 2023

Myths & facts

Myth: Cyberbullying is just kids being kids — they'll grow out of it.

Fact: Cyberbullying follows a child home and around the clock, and screenshots make moments permanent. Its effects on sleep, mood, school, and mental health are real, and persistent targeted behaviour can amount to criminal harassment.

Myth: Taking the phone away is the answer.

Fact: Removing the device often feels like a punishment to the child and can stop them telling you about future problems. Blocking, reporting, keeping evidence, and involving the school work better than confiscation.

Myth: If my child isn't upset in front of me, they're fine.

Fact: Many children hide online bullying out of shame or fear of losing their device. Withdrawal, reluctance to go to school, or avoiding their phone can be the first signs — which is why an open, no-blame relationship matters.

Age by age

8-10
Teach the basics of being kind online, how to block and tell an adult, and that it's always okay to come to you if someone is unkind.
11-13
As group chats and social media begin, talk about pile-ons and exclusion, screenshotting evidence, and the school's role — bullying between classmates is a school matter.
14-16
Discuss more serious forms (threats, sharing images, coordinated harassment), when it becomes a police matter, and supporting a friend who is targeted.
17-plus
Focus on harassment law, evidence, reporting routes, and looking after their own and others' mental health online.

What to say

Full conversation guides: you can always tell me, first social media talk

A real-world example

Frozen out of the group chatAn illustrative composite of group-chat exclusion and pile-ons — how it hides in plain sight, and how a parent and school turned it around.

Frequently Asked Questions

Part of: Online Safety· Safety Checklist· Mental Health· Disabilities· Starting Secondary· Social Media

Related Resources

App Guide

Instagram Safety Settings

Audience

Guide for Parents

Sources

Was this page helpful?

Last reviewed: 2026-04-19Next review: 2027-01-31Reviewed against: Childline, Anti-Bullying Alliance

Explore more

By Age Device Guides App Guides Downloads Training Emergency Help

Stay informed on this topic

Get practical child safety updates in your inbox. No spam.