LIBRARY

A child can leave the school gate, close the bedroom door, and still be surrounded by cruelty. Cyberbullying follows them through phones, gaming chats, group messages, shared photos, voice notes and social media posts. What once stopped at home can now continue at dinner, during homework and late into the night. UNICEF describes cyberbullying as repeated harmful behaviour using digital technologies. It may include threats, rumours, humiliation, impersonation, exclusion, the s

Before you check a child’s phone, check the relationship. A phone can show messages, apps, searches, photos, and deleted threads. It can reveal pieces of a child’s world. But it cannot always tell you what the child felt, why they stayed silent, who pressured them, what they feared losing, or whether they thought home would be safe enough for the truth. Many children and teens do not hide painful online experiences because they are trying to be deceptive. Some hide because th