Kids and Bullying

In the past, some parents rarely opened a dialogue with their children regarding bullying or viewed it as part of growing up. Prior to social networks, media sharing websites, and electronic communication devices, bullying was limited to the the school playground and the local neighborhood. 

Contemporary bullying that our children face is compounded by social websites that allow bullies to attack their victims twenty-four hours a day; seven days per week. The ability to bully is easier than ever before and hard to escape from due to technology and the negative social peer pressure kids potentially face if they report their bully (also known as “snitching”). 

U.S. News and World Report recently published an article on bullying that stated 1 in 4 high school students reported being bullied at least once during the 2008-2009 school year. In some cases, bullied children avoid certain areas of their school and sometimes get into physical confrontations.

The National Institutes of Health report that bully victims are more likely to be depressed, have low self-esteem, perform poorly in school, and in some cases consider or commit suicide. 

Here are a few tips that kids should know about bullying:

• Your hurt feelings about being bullied are valid; share them with someone who can help (school counselor, a parent, etc).
• Do not respond to a bully's obscene statements, this is what they want; it is better to walk away.
• There is nothing wrong with reporting a bully. In most cases, your school’s vice-principal will allow you to do it confidentially. Report harassment as soon as it happens, this will help prevent the cycle of bullying from starting. 
• Talk to your parents about ensuring that the privacy settings on your social media profile are set to block communication from unwanted and/or unknown individuals. Share any text messages or other negative communication that you have received from a bully with your parents. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a website that provides information on bullying:

www.stopbullying.gov/