Cyberbullying
Preventing Cyberbullying: How You Can Help
If you spend time online, you’ve likely come across cyberbullying—whether witnessing it, hearing about it, or experiencing it firsthand. Knowing how to protect yourself and take action is essential.
Unlike in-person bullying, cyberbullying can happen anytime, anywhere. It can be relentless and spread rapidly, making it crucial to understand how to respond and safeguard yourself and others.
Explore the steps you can take to stay safe and address cyberbullying effectively.
Talk to Your Child
Open conversations about cyberbullying help your child feel comfortable coming to you if needed:
- Bring up real-life examples to show you understand the issue
- Ask if they’ve seen or experienced cyberbullying, and listen without judgment
- Assure them they can talk to you without fear of overreaction or punishment
Stay Informed About Their Online Activity
- Know which sites, apps, and games they use
- Keep up with new technology and online trends
- Try out social media platforms to better understand their online world
Set Ground Rules for Online Safety
- Teach them to use privacy settings and strong, unique passwords
- Explain that you may monitor activity if you believe they are at risk
- Encourage them to lock their devices with passwords for added security
- Help them remove posts or images they regret sharing
Teach Safe Online Behavior
- Remind them that anything posted online can be shared and altered, even if deleted
- Caution against sharing personal details, locations, or private images
- Encourage respectful interactions—treat others online as they would in person
- Warn them not to accept friend requests from strangers
- Stress the importance of never sharing explicit images, as they lose control over them
By staying involved, setting boundaries, and fostering open communication, you can help protect your child from cyberbullying and online risks.
Cyberbullying and the Law
Cyberbullying isn’t just harmful—it can have serious legal consequences. If you engage in online harassment or bullying, you could face criminal charges, fines, loss of electronic devices, and even jail time.
Potential Criminal Charges
Under Canada’s Criminal Code, cyberbullying can lead to charges such as:
- Sharing intimate images without consent
- Criminal harassment
- Uttering threats
- Intimidation
- Mischief in relation to data
- Unauthorized use of a computer
- Identity theft
- Extortion
- False messages, indecent or harassing communications
- Counselling suicide
- Incitement of hatred
- Defamatory libel
- Public incitement of hatred
- Offences against the person and reputation
Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent
It is a criminal offence to share intimate or sexual images or videos of someone without their permission. This law protects everyone’s privacy, regardless of age.
Distributing intimate images without consent is a common form of cyberbullying, often linked to personal conflicts or revenge after a breakup. However, no matter the reason, this act can deeply affect a person's mental health, reputation, and self-esteem. In severe cases, it has been associated with suicidal thoughts and self-harm.
Judges have the authority to order the removal of these images from the internet, and those convicted of this offence can face serious penalties, including:
- Up to five years in prison
- Seizure of electronic devices used to share the image
- Financial responsibility for the costs of removing the image from the internet
What is an Intimate Image?
An intimate image includes any photo or video showing:
- A person engaged in explicit sexual activity
- A sexual organ, anal region, or breast
For an image to be considered intimate under the law, the person in it must have had a reasonable expectation of privacy at the time it was taken and must not have given up their privacy rights at the time of the offence.
Cyberbullying is serious and can have lasting consequences. If you or someone you know is experiencing cyberbullying, report it and seek support.