As a parent you want the best for your child. When they are suffering you want to protect and help them through their troubles, but you may not really know where to start. The first thing you need to understand is the depth of the problem and how you can help. Talk to your child about the situation.
- If the situation involves your child’s school then you need to look at your school’s policy around bullying and cyberbullying to understand your rights. You check with your school or even the district for their policies.
- Check out the “What to do if you are being bullied” infographic for specific actions you should take.
- To truly know your and your child’s rights when it comes to cyberbullying check out the laws in your state here.
- If your state doesn’t appear to have adequate laws around cyberbullying help drive change in your state by contacting your state representative.
- In addition we have compiled a PDF called the Adult Resource Packet that has information about David’s Law, the Texas School Safety Center – Bullying Checklist, and information on social apps and sites that your children are using.
- If you ever get any sort of threat of physical harm you should talk to a parent or guardian and call the local police. You can also report the threats to school authorities as well.
If you feel your child is at risk of self-harm, please contact a mental health professional, such as your local children’s hospital or mental health officer with local law enforcement, as soon as you can, and if you feel that the risk of self-harm is imminent, call 911 immediately.