How To Respond: Trolling
Recognise, Respond, Support:
Trolling
What is it?
Trolling involves sharing, commenting or posting hurtful, shocking, mocking or provocative content to evoke an emotional reaction or cause disruption to others online.
This can occur across multiple online spaces including gaming platforms, livestream chats, online community forums, social media comment sections and online group chats.
Trolls often hide behind anonymity, and they may also target young people for attention, or amusement.
These anonymous accounts allow individuals to engage in offensive or harmful behaviour without facing repercussions.
This kind of online behaviour can cause emotional distress, encourage others to send harmful communications or escalate into harassment or unwanted contact.
If you, your child or someone you know has been targeted by trolls, support is available and it's important to seek help and advice; you are not alone.
Why do people troll?
Understanding the motivations of trolls may help explain it to your young person.
People may troll because they want attention or a reaction, think it’s funny or entertaining, feel anonymous or less accountable online, want to upset or provoke someone, or join in with others in group behaviour.
Young people sometimes join trolling without realising the harm it can cause. If you find your young person has been trolling others online, focus on the behaviour not the technology. Use it as an opportunity to talk about empathy, respect and kindness online, and encourage them to reflect on their choices.
Recognising the signs
These may be indicators that something is happening for your young person online, or they have seen something upsetting:
- Your child becomes upset after reading comments, posts or receiving messages in a group chat
- They argue frequently online or feel pressured to “defend themselves” in online conversations or forums where they usually socialise or game
- They start avoiding certain platforms or withdraw from online spaces or games that they previously enjoyed
- Increased anxiety, anger, or fear after social media use
What to do
- Remind them it’s not personal
- Trolls online aim to upset or disrupt conversations, and often they are seeking a reaction
- Avoid engaging with the trolls
- Don’t reply, don’t argue, just report the content and move on. Pausing helps you stay calm and make choices that protect your wellbeing
- Report the accounts and the content of concern to the platform
- It can also be helpful to use platform tools, like muting conversations, blocking accounts that are causing problems or reporting content to the platform where it is occurring
- Support resilience online
- Talk about healthy ways to handle online negativity and create some strategies for building resilience online
- Report to Netsafe
- Contact Netsafe for advice and support if you’re unsure what to do
Tips to connect and prevent further harm
Depending on the age and stage of your child you might:
- Help them recognise trolling behaviour and understand why people do it, remind them that trolling is to evoke an emotional reaction or to disrupt
- Discuss online empathy and appropriate online behaviours; it can help them balance expression with kindness and self-protection
- Share your own experiences of ignoring negativity online and model this behaviour for your child to learn from
Find out more
Visit the Netsafe website to learn more about trolling and how to contact the Helpline for advice and support.
