HOUSTON – As students head back to school, child safety experts are warning parents that bullying doesn’t always end when kids walk through the front door.
Cyberbullying can follow children home through group chats, online games and social media — and parents may never see it happening.
In the 2023 Texas Education Poll, 74% of Texans said cyberbullying was a moderate or large risk facing public school students in their communities, making it the top concern among the risks surveyed.
Cyberbullying is changing
Child safety experts say parents should be prepared for new ways kids can be targeted online, particularly as artificial intelligence becomes more accessible.
Rania Mankarious, CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston said one of the biggest mistakes parents can make is waiting until there’s already a problem before talking with their children about cyberbullying.
“You want to be talking to your kids about what cyberbullying looks like, and you as a parent need to know it’s changing,” Mankarious said.
AI can make it easier to create fake social media accounts, manipulate photos and generate other content using a child’s likeness.
That means parents now need to have conversations not only about what their children see online, but also about what they create and share.
“They need to be talking to kids about why it’s dangerous, why it breaks a moral code of conduct, how it can get you in trouble,” Mankarious said.
What parents should do if their child is targeted
Experts recommend starting with one simple step: listen.
If a child says they’re being bullied online, avoid immediately blaming or punishing them. Instead, give them a chance to explain what happened.
Parents should also preserve evidence, including:
- Screenshots
- Usernames and account information
- Dates and times
- Messages and posts
- Links to relevant content
If other students are involved, parents should share that documentation with the school.
Under Texas law, schools have responsibilities when cyberbullying affects students, including certain conduct that occurs off campus.
Set boundaries before there’s a problem
With the new school year underway, experts encourage families to establish clear expectations for online activity.
That can include setting a device curfew, reviewing privacy settings together and talking regularly about the apps, games and social platforms children are using.
Parents don’t necessarily need to know every app their child uses. But they should know where their child is spending time online — and make sure their child knows they can come to them if something goes wrong.
The goal is to make sure children don’t feel they have to deal with cyberbullying alone.