Follow your school's anti-bullying guidelines when you respond to a cyberbullying incident but bear in mind that you need to strike a balance between investigating the incident and respecting your student's privacy.
The Department for Education outlines the steps you should take when responding to a cyberbullying incident.
- Support the victim and reassure them that they have done the right thing by reporting the incident.
- Advise the victim about the next steps, such as gathering evidence, blocking further contact, and identifying the perpetrator.
- Try to contain the incident when content has been circulated to other people.
- Report the incident to the relevant people (such as your manager, your school's anti-bullying co-ordinator, and the student's' parents) and to organisations (such as the internet or mobile provider, your local authority, and, in some cases, the police).
- Investigate and record all incidents of cyberbullying.
- Work with the perpetrator once they have been identified to make them aware of the consequences of their actions and try to change their behaviour - take into account anyone who passed on emails or texts or posted responses online.
- Apply disciplinary sanctions, such as confiscating the perpetrator's mobile or limiting internet access at school.
You can find the Department for Education's full guidance about how to respond to a cyberbullying incident here and you might also find the ‘Let's Fight It Together' film useful .
Dealing with cyberbullying is far from straightforward, but you can rest assured that many of the leading internet, social networking and mobile providers will help you in your investigations.
In many cases, cyberbullying is in breach of their terms and conditions and/or community guidelines and they will take the appropriate action against the perpetrator.
Many of them have formal reporting routes and can give you guidance on retaining evidence and containing incidents, for example, and they also work closely with the government, law enforcement agencies and charities to ensure that cyberbullying is dealt with appropriately.
You can find their contact details here.
Cyberbullying also affects teachers and other school staff. If you are experiencing harassment over the internet or your mobile, visit the Teacher Advice section of Teachtoday and read the DfE's guidance document ‘Cyberbullying: Supporting School Staff' .
Where can I find out more?
- Refer to your school's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and Anti-Bullying Policy.
- Speak to your school's e-safety co-ordinator and anti-bullying co-ordinator.
- Read about real-life case studies here of cyberbullying incidents against teachers and get advice about what action to take if something similar happens to you in our Case Studies section .
- Refer to the DfE's ‘Cyberbullying: Supporting School Staff' guidance document, developed in association with Childnet .
- Contact your union to discuss the action they are taking on the issue of cyberbullying against teachers. You can find contact details for the UK teaching unions here.
- If you don't feel that you have the tools or confidence to deal with cyberbullying, speak to your manager about your training and development needs.
- You might also be able to get support from your local authority and anti-bullying agencies such as the Anti-Bullying Alliance
- Click here for our tips on dealing with cyberbullying among young people.