Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying
The audience decides. You're the audience.
KS3 · The Safeguard Hub · Press F11 for full screen, scroll for next slide
Sticky note, no names
Have you ever seen something online aimed at someone in this school that went too far?
Yes or no. Fold it. Hand it in.
Why online hits harder
It follows you home. The audience is everyone. Everything is recorded.
There is no final bell.
What counts
Abusive messages. Deliberate exclusion from chats. Fake accounts. Shared and edited images. Anonymous hate. Pile-ons.
The test: if only one side is laughing, it is not banter.
The pile-on
Comment number fifty hurts exactly as much as comment number one.
"I was just joining in" is how everyone in a pile-on describes it. The person on the receiving end describes it differently.
Anonymity is thin
Anonymous apps log accounts, devices and networks. Persistent abusers get traced.
Bad news if you're sending it. Good news if you're receiving it: something can be done.
The legal line
Threats. Campaigns of harassment. Sharing intimate images without consent, including AI-faked ones of classmates.
These are not "just online". They can be crimes.
If it's happening to you
Don't retaliate. Your reply becomes the story. Save the evidence. Screenshot first.
Block and report. Tell an adult, and keep telling until something changes.
The upstander ladder
Step 1: don't like, don't share, don't laugh. Step 2: message the target privately. "You alright? That's out of order."
Step 3: screenshot and report. Step 4: tell an adult. Even step 1, done by enough people, kills a pile-on.
Ten seconds of typing
People remember one kind private message for years.
You can be that message.
Where to get help
Childline 0800 1111. reportharmfulcontent.com when platforms won't act. Report Remove for private images.
And any trusted adult in school. Early telling ends most cases.
Before you go
Write one line you could send privately to someone being piled on.
Some of these lines will get sent this week. Maybe yours.
Aligned with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 and College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice. This resource is for education and prevention. It is not legal advice. In an emergency always call 999.