Assessment Library
Assessment Library Screen Time & Devices Cyberbullying Blocking Online Harassers

Block Online Harassers Contacting Your Child

Get clear, parent-friendly steps to block abusive accounts, stop cyberbullying messages on social media, and reduce repeat contact across your child’s phone and apps.

Answer a few questions for personalized guidance on blocking the person contacting your child

Tell us what’s happening, where the harassment is showing up, and how urgent it feels. We’ll help you focus on practical next steps for blocking online bullies and protecting your child’s accounts.

How urgent is the problem with someone contacting or harassing your child online right now?
Takes about 2 minutes Personalized summary Private

What parents usually need when harassment starts

When a specific person keeps messaging, commenting, or creating new accounts to reach your child, parents often need more than a general safety tip. They need to know how to block someone harassing their child online, what settings to change next, and how to prevent the same person from contacting them again. This page is designed for that exact situation, with guidance that stays calm, practical, and focused on immediate protection.

Where blocking usually needs to happen

On the child’s phone

Review phone-level blocking, contact restrictions, and notification settings to reduce direct calls, texts, and repeated contact attempts.

Inside social media apps

Use in-app tools to block cyberbullying messages on social media, restrict DMs, limit comments, and stop abusive accounts from contacting your child.

In privacy and parental controls

Strengthen account privacy, messaging permissions, and parental controls to block online harassers and make future contact harder.

Common blocking situations parents ask about

A known person keeps reaching out

If your child knows the person, blocking may need to be paired with tighter privacy settings, follower review, and limits on who can message them.

Harassment is happening on Instagram or Snapchat

Parents often need platform-specific help, such as how to block a harasser on Instagram for kids or how to block a harasser on Snapchat for kids.

The person returns from new accounts

If one block is not enough, the next step is usually preventing online harassers from messaging your child through account restrictions, reporting tools, and contact controls.

Blocking is often the first step, not the only step

Blocking can quickly reduce contact, but it works best when combined with a few follow-up actions: checking who can message your child, reviewing friend or follower lists, saving evidence if needed, and making sure your child knows not to respond. Personalized guidance can help you decide what to do first based on whether this is happening right now, has happened recently, or you want to prevent it before it starts.

What personalized guidance can help you do

Choose the right blocking steps

Get help deciding whether to block at the phone level, app level, or both, depending on how the person is contacting your child.

Reduce repeat contact

Learn how to block abusive accounts from contacting your child and how to close common gaps that let harassers return.

Support your child calmly

Take action without escalating fear, using clear steps that protect your child while keeping communication open and supportive.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I block someone harassing my child online if it’s happening on more than one app?

Start by blocking the person in each app where contact is happening, then review your child’s phone settings, privacy controls, and messaging permissions. If the person is using multiple accounts or platforms, blocking in only one place may not be enough.

Can parental controls block online harassers directly?

Parental controls can help limit who can contact your child, manage app access, and strengthen privacy, but many blocking actions still need to be done inside the specific app or platform where the harassment is happening.

What should I do if the harasser creates a new account after being blocked?

Block the new account, tighten privacy settings, limit who can message or add your child, and consider reporting the behavior through the platform. It also helps to review follower or friend lists and remove people your child does not know or trust.

Should my child respond before blocking the person?

In most cases, no. Responding can sometimes encourage more contact. It is usually better to save evidence if needed, block the account, and then adjust settings to reduce future messages.

Is blocking enough if the messages are abusive or threatening?

Blocking is an important first step, but abusive or threatening messages may also need to be documented and reported through the platform, school, or local authorities depending on the severity. The right next step depends on what was said and how immediate the risk feels.

Get personalized guidance for blocking online bullies

Answer a few questions to get focused next steps for your child’s situation, including how to stop online harassment from a specific person and how to make repeat contact less likely.

Answer a Few Questions

Browse More

More in Cyberbullying

Explore more assessments in this topic group.

More in Screen Time & Devices

See related assessments across this category.

Browse the full library

Find more parenting assessments by category and topic.