How can I find out if my child is a cyberbully?

No parent wants to think her child is a cyber bully. Psychologist Jennifer Hartstein, PsyD, reveals how to find out if your kid is tormenting others over the Internet.

Transcript

00:00

[MUSIC PLAYING] There are probably signs. They're hiding things online. They're engaging in social media usage behind your back. You're getting reports from people in their life

00:08

that this is a problem.

00:20

It's always hard to figure out if your child is on the negative end of cyberbullying or digital abuse,

00:26

if they're the person who's doing the abusing and it's really important to start to do the exploration.

00:33

So if you notice that they're hiding more things online, or you even get any information externally given back to you

00:40

that they are the person who's doing the abusing and being the bully, you need to address that with your child. You need to figure out why they might be doing it.

00:48

You need to ask if they are doing it. You need to talk about how to stop doing it. Because it isn't going to help them with building friendships,

00:56

with building a positive sense of themselves. So it's always hard to even want to consider that your child might be on that end.

01:03

But there are probably signs. They're hiding things online. They're engaging in social media usage behind your back.

01:10

You're getting reports from people in their life that this is a problem. Don't dismiss those things. Really pay attention to them and go talk with your teen

01:18

and really figure out how to help them feel better about themselves, that this isn't how they have to feel like they win friends and gain favor in their friendships.