Threats
Cyberbullying: where it happens, and how to respond
Nearly half of US teens say they've experienced cyberbullying. It often looks different from what parents expect, and how you respond in the first hour matters.
Where does cyberbullying show up?
- Group chats and texts: pile-ons, or being suddenly removed or muted
- Comments and DMs on social platforms, with YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok seeing the most reports
- Gaming voice and text chat, during or after matches
- Anonymous polling or "rating" apps built for cruel feedback
What forms does cyberbullying take?
- Harassment: repeated mean, threatening, or offensive messages
- Exclusion: deliberately leaving someone out of a group chat, game, or event to hurt them
- Impersonation: a fake account created to embarrass someone or damage their reputation
- Doxxing: sharing someone's private information or photos without consent
- Trickery: pretending to be a friend to extract embarrassing information, then sharing it publicly
Doxxing can escalate further, into swatting: making a fake emergency call, such as a bomb threat or hostage situation, that sends an armed police response to the victim's real home address. State attorneys general have tracked both as a rapidly rising trend, often used as a punishment or control tactic rather than a one-off prank. When doxxing or swatting is used by an organized group to threaten or control a child, rather than by a peer in a one-off incident, see our guide to violent online networks.
What are the warning signs of cyberbullying?
Counterintuitively, many bullied kids reduce their online presence rather than increase it.
Suddenly deleting apps or going quiet on accounts they used to enjoy
Visible distress, anger, or sadness during or after using a device
Reluctance to go to school or take part in usual activities
Changes in eating, sleeping, or mood without another clear cause
Avoiding questions about what's happening online
Unexplained headaches or stomachaches tied to school or device use
What should you do if your child is being cyberbullied?
- Stay calm and thank them for telling you. How you react shapes whether they'll tell you again next time
- Don't take the device away as a punishment; it discourages future reporting
- Screenshot and save the evidence before anything gets deleted or blocked
- Don't respond or retaliate on your child's behalf
- Use the platform's report and block tools, and report to the school if a classmate is involved
- Involve law enforcement if there are threats of violence, sextortion, or continued harassment after blocking
More detailed guidance: stopbullying.gov covers what cyberbullying is, prevention, how to report it, and a parent guide.