Make parents liable for cyberbullying, says expert

Parents should be held liable for their children’s behaviour online, the director of an anti-bullying research centre has said.

Ahead of Safer Internet Day tomorrow , the Director of the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre at Dublin City University said if parents were held legally responsible for their child’s cyberbullying, there would be greater numbers of parents familiarising themselves with the s ocial media their children are using.

Dr James O’Higgins-Norman said research shows primary school children, as young as 9 or 10, are being given smartphones as Christmas presents by parents, yet many of these parents are not educating their offspring about safe usage.