GARDAÍ have urged any parents concerned that their children are being cyberbullied to report the matter to them.
A garda spokesperson was responding to a query from the mother of an 11-year-old child.
Responding, a garda spokesperson said: “If the cyberbullying involves a student from a particular school, inform the school so they can take action according to their anti-bullying policy. For serious cases involving threats or criminal intent, report the matter to the Gardaí.
“Young people should never reply to messages that harass or annoy them. The bully wants to know that they have upset their target. If they get a response it feeds into the problem.”
The garda spokesperson also urged parents to keep the messages and block the sender.
“Keep the Messages: By keeping the nasty messages your child will be able to produce a record of the bullying, the dates and the times. This will be useful for any subsequent school or Garda investigation.
“Block the Sender: No one needs to put up with someone harassing them. Whether it’s mobile phones, social networking or chat rooms, children can block contacts through service providers.
“Report any instances of cyberbullying to websites or service providers directly.
“I would advise this parent to look up www.webwise.ie where there is a wealth of information for parents in relation to the issue of cyberbullying. They are also welcome to call to any Garda Station to discuss the matter and to seek further advice.”
