I am worried my child might be bullying others 

If your child is treating others badly, is dismissive of their feelings or targeting or intentionally excluding a particular child or group, they could be seen as someone who bullies. If they also socialise online there is a chance they may be bullying that person or group online too. 

Finding out your child is bullying others can be very painful but you can help them to change, with your guidance and positive engagement.  

Here are some strategies to try: 

• Talk to your child in a way they can relate to, about how it feels to be left out or teased. Use examples. Build empathy — what it might feel like to be the other person. 
• Encourage your child to be honest about their behaviour, take responsibility for it and apologise to those they have bullied.
• Talk about accepting differences and how to deal with people that annoy them. Give examples from your own life such as working with a difficult colleague.  
• Explain there will be consequences for them if they treat others badly — for example, if they are rude they need to apologise and lose access to something they enjoy. Remember to also praise any change for the good so they start afresh.  
• Identify activities that make your child feel good about themselves such as membership of a sports club or an art class, where they can be successful and have fun. 
• Praise your child’s strengths and any behaviour changes they try to make. 
• Practice treating others well at home and let them know when they are being kind. 
• Spend one-on-one time with your child such as watching a movie, playing sport together or cooking with them. 
• Talk to your child’s school about their academic achievement, learning style and abilities and whether they need additional support.  
• Work with the school on ways to develop your child’s social skills. 

The ‘Keep it Real Online’ campaign by the New Zealand government shows just how important it is not to overreact and instead focus on ways to positively engage with your child to change their behaviour. See the advertisement here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBhxVomEN7Y

My child has shared inappropriate images 
If your child has shared an intimate image of someone else without their permission:

• try to get the full story;
• explain why it is a problem;
• try to stop the image being further shared; and 
• help your child to repair any harm.

For more details see our guide to sending nudes and sexting for parents and carers. 

You can also get help and support from one of these counselling services:

Kids Helpline - 5 to 25 year olds. All issues. Confidential phone counselling available all day, every day. Online chat available 24/7, 365 days a year. Ph: 1800 55 1800

Headspace - 12 to 25 year olds. All issues. Phone counselling available all day, every day. Online chat available 9am to 1am EST daily. Ph: 1800 650 890

The above information is taken from the eSafety Commissioner website - https://www.esafety.gov.au/. This website contains a plethora of information, resources and support for parents to help navigate the difficult area of online safety with their children.