Cyberbullying: A Resource for Parents of Elementary School-Aged Children

Abstract

In recent years, the digital revolution, and, in particular, the widespread use of devices with internet access, has enabled a new form of bullying to emerge. The typical age at which youth begin using internet-enabled technology and social media continues to trend downward. Consequently, elementary school-aged children are increasingly subjected to cyberbullying. Therefore, this clinical resource is a text-based pamphlet for parents with elementary-aged children that will serve as an educational tool regarding cyberbullying prevention strategies. The development of the pamphlet included an initial literature review of the literature, gathered through searches from online academic databases, including Psychinfo, PsychArticles, and Google Scholar. Additionally, several websites and assortment of books were reviewed to identify a representative list of parent resources related to cyberbullying. The pamphlet provides empirically supported information about cyberbullying as well as prevention strategies parents can utilize with their children. The target audience for this pamphlet are parents and guardians of elementary school-aged children between the ages of 5 and 10. The following content areas were included in the pamphlet: (a) What is Cyberbullying? (e.g., Cyberbullying definition, types of Cyberbullying, Cyberbully roles, adverse impacts for victims, (b) Prevention strategies (some of which will be illustrated through vignettes), (c) Recognizing/Detecting Cyberbullying (e.g., warning signs, how to talk to your child about cyberbullying and encourage disclosure, (d) What to do next? (e.g., how to intervene at school and/or with the parents of the cyberbully), (e) Resources (e.g., websites, apps, books and community programs focused on cyberbullying). A formal evaluation of the completed text-based pamphlet is beyond the scope of this project.