Stand Up to Cyberbullying: Your Family’s Guide to Cybersecurity and Digital Safety

What is Cyberbullying? 

Cyberbullying happens across digital devices and platforms through DMs, group chats, posts, or image and video sharing. It involves sending, posting or sharing rumors, hurtful or even explicit content about someone, impersonation and can also include sharing personal or private information without consent – often with the intent to embarrass or harm. Cyberbullies can go even further than they would in person – emboldened by perceived anonymity. 

The impact of Cyberbullying 

Cyberbullying today is more dangerous than ever. Its impact goes far beyond hurt feelings — victims can face crushing anxiety, depression, and in the worst cases, even suicide. Unlike playground taunts, online abuse doesn’t end when the school bell rings. It follows kids into their homes, runs 24/7 and lives on in screenshots and reposts long after the attack. 

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s research shows that a phone-based childhood combined with heavy social media use is fuelling a sharp rise in youth mental-health struggles. Now, AI adds another layer of risk — impersonation, voice-cloning and deepfakes that make harassment feel more believable, more public and almost impossible to disprove. 

Who’s at risk of being Cyberbullied? 

According to the Pew Research Center, nearly half of American teens have been cyberbullied. The numbers are likely much higher – research shows nearly half of cyberbullying-related crimes go unreported – likely due to embarrassment or shame. 

CDC data shows more than one in six high schoolers were cyberbullied in the past year, with significantly higher rates for LGBTQIA2S+ youth and girls reporting three times more cyberbullying than boys.  

Youth with special education needs, including learning differences, ASD and other neurodivergence, are often targeted, while children with poor, dysfunctional, conflictual family relationships are more likely to be cyberbullied.

Cyberbullied Kids face growing online Sextortion and ID Theft scams 

The FBI flagged sextortion scams as one of the fastest-growing threats to minors. In these crimes, offenders trick kids into sharing sexual images, then use them for extortion — whether for money or personal gratification. The consequences are devastating: between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI received over 13,000 reports of financial sextortion targeting minors — mostly boys — which led to at least 20 suicides. Reports jumped 20% in just six months. 

And online identity theft risk isn’t just for adults: data shows one in every 10 American kids fall victim to ID theft online. In fact, children are 51 times more vulnerable to ID theft than their parents.  

Alarmingly, 1.25 million American kids fell victim to ID theft and fraud in 2021, costing the average family more than $1,100. Nearly half of our kids have used our credit cards to make online purchases averaging more than $500.  

Even more scary: half of all child ID theft cases involve kids aged nine and younger. 

A Family Plan for Cyberbullying and cybersecurity 

Cybersecurity Awareness Month isn’t just for businesses, says Jack Brooks, Head of BOXX Hackbusters® and vCISO. “Every family can take proactive measures to protect their homes and children – whether from cyberbullying or sextortion or other cyber risks like ID theft.”

There are simple steps that make it harder for cyberbullies or scammers to seize a teen’s account, scrape private images, or impersonate them. 

These should be every family’s default: 

• Strong, unique passwords (or passphrases) and use a password manager. Brooks says. “A simple shared phrase can stop an impersonation scam in its tracks. Agree on a code word only your close family members know and never share it online.” 
• Multi-Factor Authorization (MFA) for email, social, gaming and financial apps. 
• Automatic updates on phones, tablets, consoles and PCs. 
• Use trusted, paid endpoint protection that scans for phishing attempts, ransomware and malicious software in real time. 
• Review privacy and location-sharing settings on all devices. 
• Use platform tools and support to mute, block and report abuse. If threats escalate or involve sexual content, contact your kids’ school and law enforcement. 
• Teaching kids to be “politely sceptical”: pausing before clicking links in emails, texts or DMs; questioning urgency like “verify now” messages; verifying sources directly; and assuming attackers can spoof phone numbers, emails, voices and even faces now. “Teaching kids what AI can fake — and how to slow down and verify before responding — belongs in every family’s digital safety talk,” Brooks says.

“Families shouldn’t have to choose between privacy and safety,” Brooks adds. “Good cyber hygiene protects your accounts — and it also lowers the risk of cyberbullying spillovers like impersonation, doxxing and sextortion that can often start with a single compromised login.”

How Cyber Insurance and Protection tools predict and prevent Cyberbullying and Cyber Threats 

This October, BOXX is partnering with BrightCanary to help families move from awareness to action by providing them with three free months of AI-powered insights to monitor their child’s online activities. BrightCanary gives parents a window into kids’ digital worlds —surfacing potential risks, prompting healthy screen habits, and creating teachable moments — without turning trust into surveillance. It’s a way to keep conversations open and informed, so kids build their own resilience alongside your guidance. 

The same philosophy drives BOXX’s family cyber insurance. Through Cyberboxx® Home, families get comprehensive coverage for online threats like cyber extortion, cyber deception, cyberbullying and identity theft — paired with BOXX Academy’s online safety training for kids to help them spot and stop risks. 

Every policy includes Cyberboxx® Assist – always-on tools like Dark Web Monitoring, real-time hacker chatter alerts, and 24/7 access to the BOXX’s Hackbusters® team for rapid containment and support – real help from real humans when it matters most. 

BOXX lets families “see what hackers see”, by continuously scanning the dark web for security gaps or what personal information might be online that hackers can exploit, while the Hackbusters are there to help families respond to and resolve cyber incidents at home quickly.

Families can also use credit and ID theft monitoring tools like Equifax which is offered in every Cyberboxx Home policy. And BOXX’s Cyber Protect App keeps your family’s personal, sensitive and private information secure online. 

“It’s not about just one app, one habit or one policy,” Jardine says. “It’s about layering healthy digital habits, knowledge and an all-in-one insurance and protection solution with the right tools to equip kids to stay digitally safe. Prevention is always better than loss.” 

Whether you’re securing your data, monitoring to prevent identity theft or responding to a breach, Cyberboxx® Home keeps your family a step ahead of threats.

Why October matters – and How Parents and Caregivers can help with Cyberbullying 

Talk about cyberbullying – October is your cue to reset family habits. Link the two observances for your family: strong cybersecurity makes it harder for cyberbullies to hijack accounts or weaponize private info. Use CISA’s tip sheets and make it a challenge — pick one new habit each week and practice it together. 

Wear orange on Unity Day – On Wednesday, October 22, 2025, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center invites everyone to wear orange as a bold stand for kindness and inclusion. It’s more than symbolic — it sparks conversations. Ask your kids what kindness online means to them, share your own stories and revisit your family’s digital safety plan. Even small gestures, like changing your group-chat photo to orange, reinforce the message. 

Check the vibe at school – The CDC reports that heavy social-media use is tied to higher bullying rates and feelings of sadness. Ask your child’s school about device policies, reporting pathways and digital literacy programs. If you see gaps, share resources — from PACER’s bullying prevention actions to CISA’s Cybersecurity Awareness month guides. 

Reassure first, fix second – Make it clear your kids won’t lose their phone for asking for help. Fear of punishment keeps them silent. Consult resources like StopBullying.gov’s Get Help Now page and BOXX’ cyber tips. Avoid shaming and blaming kids about cyberbullying or cyber extortion when you’ve learned they’ve been a victim. “When something goes wrong online, the worst thing is shaming and silence,” says Jadine. “Document it, report it, use the protection tools at your disposal and bring in professional help fast. Kids bounce back faster when adults respond quickly and without judgment. Remember, BOXX is always here to help so families don’t have to face cyberbullying and online threats alone.” 

Taking Action 

Cyberbullying and digital crimes against children are growing – and they impact our kids emotionally, mentally and even financially. Showing up for Unity Day is a great first step, but parents and caregivers can do a lot more to take action and protect youth online. 

It starts at home – by practicing healthy cyber hygiene, having the right conversations with our kids, investing in comprehensive insurance and protection solutions and leveraging the right tools to help our families predict, prevent and respond to cyber threats in real-time.