The internet is vast — with over 1 billion destinations on the World Wide Web.

With that, it’s often hard to track what your children or teens are up to online.

For all you know, they could be victims of cyberbullying. What’s worse, if they are, chances are they won’t tell you about it.

In fact, they might not even tell their closest friends about it.

So with that knowledge, what can you do?

When a teen is subjected to any kind of bullying, whether it be cyberbullying or the traditional kind, there are several warning signs and red flags that you can look out for.

Today, we’re going to explore five of them and what you should do if your child shows any of these signs.

Before we get started, though, let’s take a brief look at the emotional effects of cyberbullying.

There are numerous dangers associated with cyberbullying. In short, it can ruin a victim’s — your child’s — life.

Not only can it affect your child’s emotions, but their behaviour, and concentration, too.

It can cause your child or teen to feel:

Isolated
Angry
Humiliated
And more

These feelings can lead to depression, anxiety, and low-self esteem. Because of this, it’s super important you look out for signs your child is being bullied.

Your child may not always be willing to share what they’re going through, so keep a close eye on them, and if you see any of these signs, prepare to take action.

1. Unexplained Depression

The first is the most apparent sign: depression.

Suppose your ordinarily happy teen’s self-esteem suddenly plummets, and they lose interest in activities they were once fond of. In that case, you should consider the idea that they may be a victim of cyberbullying.

Mayo Clinic takes a closer look at the symptoms of teen depression.

In short, you’re looking for a sudden change in behaviour with your child, which can range from emotional changes to worsened hygiene.

However, while cyberbullying may be a cause, depression may also stem from many other roots too.

Therefore, you should be careful about how you approach your kids in this situation. After all, you don’t want to make matters worse.

With that, here is some of what you need to know about depression and what you as parents can do to help:

2. Aversion to School

Our following two red flags go hand-in-hand.

First, if your child suddenly avoids going to school, then you should consider the idea that it’s due to cyberbullies.

An interesting aspect of cyberbullying is that it often snowballs. This means harmless digs on the device can quickly hit the playground, turning into physical or verbal bullying.

With that, let’s talk about school avoidance (which can also be referred to as school-related anxiety).

If you suspect your child is purposefully missing school, the first step is to talk to them from the safety of your home. Ask them why, and ask them if they’re being bullied. Communication is vital here.

However, if your child doesn’t want to talk, don’t get frustrated or angry. This can make matters worse.

Instead, tell them you understand what they’re going through and explain to them that they should return to school. You can promise to talk to the school staff about the matter, too, and enlist their support.

Need more information? Healthychildren.org go into great detail about school avoidance.

3. School Grades Decline

As we said, this one is pretty similar to the last. Your kids might still go to school. However, you may notice their school grades are declining.

Indeed, this lack of focus may be a red flag to cyberbullying.

So what should you do?

As before, communication is vital. Don’t react in the moment. Organise a time to sit down with your child and discuss the problem in the safety of your home. Your child may mention the problem they face in school and how it all stems from something that happens online.

But punishment is not advisable. If you decide to discipline them and the problems relate to cyberbullying, there is an increased risk of them falling into depression.

Educational Tutoring talks further about how to handle bad grades.

4. Avoiding the Internet

Your children might spend a lot of time on their devices; they’re always connected and browsing social media.

Then one day, they stop.

Their screen-time comes around, and they avoid it. They leave the room, read books, and use forms of media with no communication channels.

This may also be the result of a cyberbully.

In this situation, your child or teen is avoiding the source of the bullying. Though, you still should act on this. For the bullying might follow them to school yet.

Your best bet here is to talk to your children. Approach them calmly, in a safe space, and speak to them about school and if any of their peers are bullying them online. They might say no; they might even storm out of the room, leaving you with no action you can take.

Don’t chase your child and demand they tell you. In this situation, keep a close eye out for the other warning signs and try and engage them again later.

You could even contact your child’s school and ask the staff if they’ve seen any unusual behaviour in the classroom that may be the result of cyberbullying.

5. Trouble Sleeping

This last one is one of the more complicated behaviours to spot — especially if your child doesn't talk about it. However, trouble sleeping is a red flag of cyberbullying.

If your child or teen is struggling to sleep, they may be anxious, which may be due to harassment in their waking hours.

Now, according to KidsHealth, it’s common for teenagers sometimes to have trouble sleeping. But if it lasts for longer than a month, then there may be something else that’s giving your child or teen headaches.

Make sure to talk to your teen in these situations. Otherwise, this red flag may snowball into school grades declining and, from there — depression.

Again, communication is vital here. Like avoiding the internet, trouble sleeping may be an early sign of cyberbullies.

Want to help your child?

Therapy in a Nutshell explores sleep, anxiety, and insomnia and may be able to help.

We Can help you Make Your Digital Life Safer & Better

At immunizeNet, we care about safer digital lives. From Facebook or Instagram to the use of Snapchat and any other social media that may put users and their friends at risk, we’re at the forefront. With that, take a look at 3 risky apps you need to know. Or contact us today to learn about our online workshops.

Warmest Regards,
Michel (founder)
immunizeNet - safer digital lives.

5 Signs Your Child Is Being Bullied Online