Reporting Cyberbullying

Reporting means telling other people who may be in a position to do something about it.

• Website Provider

  Most providers (e.g. Facebook^®, Twitter^®, etc.) have terms and conditions that apply to all users and that prohibit certain activity associated with bullying like harassment, violating privacy, etc.

  • If you notify the provider, they may issue a warning to the person doing the bullying, close their account and/or block contact between your account and the bully’s account.
  • The provider may also have records of the contact between the other person and you which may be helpful (e.g. if reporting to law enforcement).
  • Remember that the person bullying you can also create a new account and start again. If this occurs, prompt and continued reporting may be needed.
  • Ask your friends to block the bully to help control the problem.

• School

  You can tell a teacher, guidance counsellor, principal or any other adult at school that you believe is safe to tell. Keep in mind:

  • Schools have a responsibility to provide environments free of harassment and discrimination for all students.
  • Many schools in Canada have an anti-bullying policy or statement.
  • If you are being bullied, online or otherwise, your school likely has a reporting and investigation process to handle student-to-student disputes.

• Parent/Guardian or another Safe Adult

  • Your parent/guardian may be able to talk to the school for you, and/or to the parent/guardian of the person who is bullying you, to help stop the bullying.
  • If you are not comfortable with that, try and find another safe adult you can talk to, like a guidance counsellor or a family friend.

• Local Police or Cybertip.ca

  • You can report to your local police if you are at all concerned that the situation involves something potentially illegal. If the bully is in another jurisdiction, police may be able to connect with law enforcement in that region.
  • You can also report to Cybertip.ca if your situation involves peers sharing a sexual picture of you or deals with other aspects of children/youth being victimized on the Internet.

• Lawyer

  Depending on the circumstances, there may be potential for civil action (such as breach of privacy or intentional infliction of emotional harm or distress) that you may wish to pursue with a lawyer.