This is number 12 in a series of great articles designed to put in school newsletters to keep parents informed around the latest cybersafety issues. They have been developed by the Cybersmart team at ACMA and are available via http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Outreach/Connected.aspx

Schools are encouraged to copy and paste these in your school newsletter or share them online. Find the series tagged under Cybersmart

Trolling online – what it is and how to support your child

Trolling is when a user intentionally causes distress, anger and argument in an online public forum for the purpose of disturbing other users.

Your children may experience trolling on social networking sites, online gaming, chat rooms or blogs.

Individuals who partake in trolling seek an emotional response from others, whether with malicious or humorous intent. Responding to trolling comments can result in the activity escalating.

Children can protect themselves by taking the following action:

• Ignoring the troll—responding to nasty, immature and offensive comments only gives trolls the attention they want.
• Blocking the troll—taking away their power. If they pop up under a different name block them again.
• Reporting trolls —reporting to site administrators. If they pop up under a different name, report them to site administrators again. If you feel your safety is being threatened, contact the police for further advice. You may consider not using the site until the issue is resolved or the troll has become bored.
• Talking with friends and family—if a troll has upset your child, it helps to talk about it with friends and family. You or your child may visit the Cybersmart Online Helpline (www.cybersmart.gov.au/report.aspx) or call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
• Protecting friends from trolls—if trolls are upsetting your child’s friend tell them to Ignore, Block, Report. Tell their family and other friends and encourage them to seek support.

DEECD resources can be found http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/bullystoppers/Pages/parents.aspx