Cyberbullying: a parent’s response guide

Much of cyberbullying now happens inside private group chats rather than in public — exclusion from a group chat was the single most commonly reported form in the Cyberbullying Research Center's 2025 national survey — which is why parents often see nothing until it is well advanced. The response that works is ordered: preserve evidence with screenshots before anything is deleted, report through the platform's own flow, bring the school in, escalate to police and, where sexual images of a child are involved, to NCMEC.

What cyberbullying looks like now

Less public, more private-group. Screenshots forwarded into group chats. Exclusion from group chats. Impersonation accounts. Public “receipts” threads. Rumors via Snapchat Stories that disappear — but screenshots don’t.

Preserve evidence before anything else

StopBullying.gov’s immediate steps are: “Don’t respond to and don’t forward cyberbullying messages”; “Keep evidence of cyberbullying. Record the dates, times, and descriptions of instances when cyberbullying has occurred. Save and print screenshots, emails, and text messages”; and “Block the person who is cyberbullying.” In practice:

1. Screenshot everything. Usernames, full messages, timestamps.
2. Save to a folder. Back up.
3. Do not delete the conversation, and do not forward it.

Response ladder

Step 1: report on the platform

Every platform has a bullying report flow. Use it. Takedowns are slow but sometimes work.

Step 2: tell the school

Even if the bullying happens off school grounds, StopBullying.gov notes that “in many states, schools are required to address cyberbullying in their anti-bullying policy” and that “some state laws also cover off-campus behavior that creates a hostile school environment.” Check what your state and district require rather than assuming. Schools can intervene socially in ways parents can’t. Bring the screenshots.

Step 3: block + private account

StopBullying.gov puts blocking in its immediate steps, alongside not responding and not forwarding. Once reported, move to private accounts, tighter DM settings, restricted follower list.

Step 4: escalate to law enforcement

StopBullying.gov lists the conduct that “is considered a crime and should be reported to law enforcement”: threats of violence; child pornography or sending sexually explicit messages or photos; taking a photo or video of someone where they would expect privacy; and stalking and hate crimes. Some states criminalise other forms, including impersonation — check your state’s law. File a police report.

Step 5: if sexual images of a child are involved, report to NCMEC

This is the step most parents miss, and the police report does not replace it. The FBI’s IC3 says plainly: “The IC3 focuses on collecting cyber-enabled crime. Crimes against children should be filed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.” Report the exploitation at NCMEC’s CyberTipline. Separately, to get copies taken down, use Take It Down — it covers “nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos taken of you when you were under 18 years old”, and works from a hash value, so the image never leaves your child’s device.

Supporting your kid

• Believe them first. The shame of not being believed is often worse than the bullying.
• Don’t make it about whether they “started it.”
• Loop in a counselor. Professional support helps.
• Monitor for signs of depression or self-harm ideation.

What not to do

• Don’t contact the bully’s parents directly in the first 48 hours — it often backfires.
• Don’t confiscate the phone as your response. It punishes the victim.
• Don’t post about it publicly. Pulls in strangers, escalates the situation.