Behavioral Indicators of Online Abuse

Behavioral changes that occur with online exploitation:

• Change in personality

• Change in or loss of friends

• Sudden drop in grades

• Becoming more secretive: Minimizing the screen when someone else enters the room, maintaining multiple email accounts, spending time online away from home in addition to/instead of at home, spending all day/night online

• Unexplained gifts/money:  Can include online gifting such as music downloads, game subscriptions, enhanced or continued online access, and cell phones/minutes, webcams and digital cameras.

Behavioral changes that occur with cyberbullying:

• Downloadable tips: Signs of Cyberbullying

• Secrecy about Internet activities

• Fear of social interaction

• Trouble sleeping

• Drop in grades

• Lowered self-esteem

• Frequent requests to stay home from school or visits to the school nurse's office