With schools closed and events canceled to protect our families from the spread of COVID-19, an increased amount of time online presents another risk to children – cyberbullying. Particularly for children with epilepsy, cyberbullying can perpetuate negative stigmas that are harmful to a child’s happiness and sense of security.

A child with special health needs or chronic illness is more likely to be bullied because they are often “othered” by their peers. However, as a parent or guardian, there are steps you can take to protect your child from cyberbullying.

Create a safe space

When a child is bullied, it may not be easy for them to talk about it. Make sure your child knows that they can come to you with any issues. Building a healthy support system of family and friends is also essential! Your child needs to know there is someone right by their side, whether it’s when they have a seizure or when someone is bullying them online.

Educate your child

Empower your child to protect themselves online by teaching them basic online etiquette. When your child is cyberbullied, the simplest and most straightforward solution is to block or report the person. You can teach your child how to do this themselves.

Also, it’s crucial to teach your child NOT to engage with cyberbullies or online trolls. Cyberbullies and online trolls are trying to bate you into responding. By not engaging, you are taking away their power.

Enact your protections

With young children, you should try to limit their unsupervised time online. When this isn’t possible, creating a separate profile with limited privileges is a simple solution. Limiting privileges is becoming easier for parents with sites like YouTube requiring content creators to set an intended age group for every video they upload.

Other Resources

Here are other resources and related articles to help answer your questions on cyberbullying.

The Parent’s Guide to Online Safety and Security

Stopbulling.gov

3 Tips for Dealing with Cyberbullying While Living with Chronic Illness

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