Emil Gukild (17) and Ludvik Roksvåg (16) are two of the actors in the informational movies made by the Norwegian “Use your head” campaign, related to cyber bullying. Read their best tips for parents.

Kids and Media have asked the youngsters for advice to parents, regarding how bullying online and via mobiles can be prevented and handled.

Dare to ask
What can parents do to discover whether their teenager is being bullied?

“The most important thing is that parents dare to speak with their children. It’s important that parents care, and rather too much than too little. Pay attention to how your teenager is behaving, and don’t be afraid to ask if you think something is wrong. Speak with other parents and even the school if you’re wondering whether something is wrong,” is the teenagers’ advice.

Healthy attitudes
Parents can help young people be clever about how to use the Internet and their mobile phones, the young boys think.

“Talk about responsibility when publishing pictures and information about yourself and others. Parents have to focus on healthy attitudes. Attitudes are important.”

They’re not equally comfortable with parents checking the mobile phones or the logs together with their teenagers.

“No, that feels too close and personal. There has to be a very special reason for this to be okay. At the very least you need to have permission from your son or daughter before you do it,” Emil and Ludvik say.

A larger audience
Does digital bullying feel more or less hurtful than other types of bullying?

“Digital bullying can be more serious because of a larger audience and because the problems can last much longer. Online rumours about you can appear without you knowing about it. Hurtful pictures or statements can quickly spread and be difficult to get rid of afterwards,” the boys say.