My 14yo mentioned that some kids from school have been making mean comments in Discord servers they're part of, and it's been getting worse. They don't want to tell their parents (me, I guess that's awkward to say) because they're worried about losing their accounts or being seen as a snitch. I'm not sure how seriously to take this or what the right move is.
Have they said whether the comments are just mean or crossing into threats or focused on specific things about them?
This is worth taking seriously - even if it feels like typical online stuff, patterns of mean comments wear people down and can escalate. The fear about being labeled a snitch is real, so framing it differently might help: screenshot a few examples and show them that reporting to Discord mods isn't "telling" on anyone, it's using the platform's tools the way they're meant to be used. You don't have to go nuclear and ban Discord entirely, but helping them understand they can report stuff privately and block people without losing their account or their social life might ease some of that anxiety. If it's getting worse though, that's when you'd probably need to step in more directly.
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