3.2 Working with parents

Sometimes it is hard for parents to support their children if they do not understand the problems with cyberbullying or do not see it happen. 

The video below features six real life families, and their children telling their stories of being cyberbullied. The kids read some of the messages they have received on their phones, while their parents listen on the other side of the room. 

The following video, Park Yuhyun, co-founder of Infollution Zero, underlines the importance of communication between parents and children and shares tips for parents to spot and stop bullying. Teachers can use these tips as notes for their communication with parents when they try to engage them in the fight against bullying.

 — Activity —

Parents and cyberbullying

Many parents feel they cannot control what their child sees or does online, they feel powerless in face of cyberbullying and look for support from the school. What type of activities could you engage parents in that will help them and your students to deal with bullying?

How Parents Can Help

We can organise information sessions both for students and for parents. During parent-teacher meetings such issues can be discussed on a one-to-one basis. The videos posted on this topic are very powerful and can be a good introduction to the topic both for parents and students.

We can help parents by saying that If they discover that their child is being cyberbullied, they can offer comfort and support. Talking about any bullying experiences they had in their childhood might help their child feel less alone.
Let their child know that it's not his or her fault, and that bullying says more about the bully than the victim. Praise their child for doing the right thing by talking to them about it. Remind their child that he or she isn't alone — a lot of people get bullied at some point. Reassure their child that they will figure out what to do about it together.

In case their child is the bully, we can suggest meetings with social therapists and psycologists. The parents are part of the solution, so if they get motivated, they can help the child find his way.

Good cooperation between the school and the parents is the solution to the bullying problems.