Online stalking
Also known as:
- cyberstalking
- online harassment
What is Risk ?
Digital risk factors associated with their interests and activities
Cyberstalking is a fixated, obsessive, unwanted repeat behaviour. For example, someone might message another person several times a day, even after being blocked or asked to stop.
A person might cyberstalk someone to:
- communicate
- track or monitor them
- intimidate
- cause distress
In many cases, someone will know the person who is cyberstalking them. For example, a current or ex-partner.
Tactics used to cyberstalk include:
- anonymous sock puppet social media accounts
- spyware apps
- withholding numbers
- hacking accounts to see direct messages, or to impersonate someone
Harassment and stalking are criminal offences under the Protection from Harassment Act.
Where this can happen
Risks and motivations
Risks
Emotional impact
Being cyberstalked and harassed can make a child or young person feel scared, anxious and powerless to prevent it. They may feel the need to change some behaviours or take steps to protect themselves. For example, updating account passwords or going online at a local library rather than using a personal device.
Being stalked or experiencing unwanted contact can damage someone’s relationships, education or work life.
Physical harm
Cyberstalking can involve unwanted physical contact. For example, someone could repeatedly send letters or items to a young person if they have information like their home address.
Cyberstalking can also escalate to physical violence.For example, someone might use spyware to access another’s private messages or current location. They could then react aggressively based on what they have seen.
Identity theft and revenge porn
A young person being cyberstalked might have personal information stolen. This can be used to commit identity theft. Private, sexual photos and videos may be stolen. These could then be shared and used for revenge porn.
Being targeted for harassment, identity theft and revenge porn can be extremely distressing.
Motivations
Reasons a young person might cyberstalk or harass someone else include:
- to know what someone is doing online
- to get attention
- boredom
- suspicion of who a partner is speaking to
- to cause someone distress
- to steal someone’s information
- interest in spyware technology
- not understanding that harassment and stalking are criminal offences
What you can do
You may be working with a child or young person who has experienced cyberstalking or forms of harassment online.
You could speak to them about:
- how they are feeling
- the importance of their privacy and the boundaries they set
- their experiences of being cyberstalked, including any offline impact
- ways to protect personal devices and accounts from hacking and surveillance
- how talking to a trusted adult can help if they are ever unsure or worried
Some harassing behaviours can amount to cyberbullying. Measures which prevent bullying will be included in a school’s anti-bullying or behaviour policies. If a child or young person attends a school, you could contact the school about this. Stalking and harassment are criminal offences. You could consider making a report to the police.
You might be working with a young person who has cyberstalked or harassed someone else. You might decide to talk with them about:
- their motivations for cyberstalking
- the impact cyberstalking can have on someone
- how people are accountable for online behaviours
- potential criminal consequences
If you are uncertain whether a behaviour is illegal, you should seek legal advice. If you have any immediate concerns for the safety or wellbeing of a child or young person, you should contact the emergency services by calling 999. If you think that a young person is at risk, follow your safeguarding procedure and read our safeguarding guidance.
Support
There are some immediate steps you can take with a child or young person to help them recover from being cyberstalked.
You might:
- help them review their passwords and security settings for online accounts
- help them update anti-spyware and antivirus software on devices
- look together at what personal information of theirs is publicly visible online
- look at ways to gather evidence of cyberstalking, for example, screenshots of messages
- go over reporting options, for example, a social media platform or the police
These steps can help a child or young person feel more secure. They might also minimise the likelihood or severity of future risks and harms.
Read more about online stalking
- A systematic literature review on cyberstalking. An analysis of past achievements and future promises (Journal of Technological Forecasting and Social Change) – Journal
- An analysis of online harassment and intimidation (International Journal of Cyber Criminology) – Journal
- Exploring the impact of cyberbullying and cyberstalking on victims (International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice) – Journal
- The impact of cyberstalking (National Library of Medicine) – Journal
- Digital stalking: A guide to technology risks for victims (Network for Surviving Stalking) – File
Share your experience of online stalking
You can tell us about:
- other terms you might have heard
- conversations you’ve had with young people
- a related platform or app
- another related risk or harm