Online bullying
Cyberbullying help for Australian families
Online harm can follow a child home and spread quickly across group chats, games, social platforms and private messages. Act methodically: support the young person, collect lawful evidence, report the content and reduce further contact.
Reviewed against official Australian sources - 14 August 2026
What matters most
- Reassure your child that telling you will not automatically cost them all device access.
- Capture usernames, URLs, dates, context and platform report numbers.
- Report serious content to the service or platform before asking eSafety to investigate cyberbullying.
- Image-based abuse and credible threats may need a different urgent pathway.
Screenshot before blocking
- Capture the full conversation or page, not only an isolated message.
- Record the account name, profile URL, date, time and service used.
- Keep the platform confirmation or report reference.
- Store evidence where the child does not have to keep seeing it.
- Do not save, forward or redistribute sexual images of a person under 18.
Report, then reduce contact
Use the platform's reporting process and preserve the confirmation. Once the necessary evidence is safe, mute, block or tighten privacy settings. If the online behaviour involves school peers, tell the school because the impact may continue in person.
When eSafety may help
Serious cyberbullying targeting a child under 18 who ordinarily lives in Australia can be reported to eSafety after the service or platform has been asked to remove it and has not helped. eSafety applies a legal threshold, so include clear evidence of serious threatening, intimidating, harassing or humiliating harm.
Urgent and image-based abuse
Call 000 for immediate danger or a credible threat. Image-based abuse, sextortion and intimate-image threats can be reported through eSafety's dedicated pathways. Do not pay a blackmailer and do not negotiate alone.
Take the next safe step
Use the tools, not just the information.
The main guide includes private questionnaires, an incident log, state pathways and complete copyable emails.
Official references
Sources used for this guide
- eSafety - cyberbullying guide for parents
- eSafety - what you can report
- eSafety - collect evidence
- eSafety - report online harm
General educational information only - not legal, medical or counselling advice. Requirements and available pathways can differ by school sector, state or territory and the facts of the situation.