Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.
Parents play a key role in preventing and responding to bullying.
- Recognize the warning signs that your child is involved in bullying. They could be bullied, bullying others, or witnessing bullying.
- Learn what bullying is and what it is not. Understanding bullying is the first step in forming a plan to prevent or respond to bullying with your child.
- Talk to your child about bullying. Opening lines of communication before your child is involved in bullying makes it easier for them to tell you when something happens.
- If you know or suspect bullying has occurred, find out what has happened with your child. Understanding what has happened can also help in communicating with school or community officials about the situation.
Statistics from the School Crime Supplement show that an adult was notified in only about a third of bullying cases. Kids don’t tell adults for many reasons:
- Bullying can make a child feel helpless. Kids may want to handle it on their own to feel in control again. They may fear being seen as weak or a tattletale.
- Kids may fear backlash from the kid who bullied them.
- Bullying can be a humiliating experience. Kids may not want adults to know what is being said about them, whether true or false. They may also fear that adults will judge them or punish them for being weak.
- Kids who are bullied may already feel socially isolated. They may feel like no one cares or understands.
- Kids may fear being rejected by their peers. Friends can help protect kids from bullying, and kids can fear losing this support.
