Bully, Be Gone! Prevention Tips for Home, School and Beyond
Bullying comes in many forms that involve an imbalance of power. Pushing or shoving, social exclusion, verbal threats or name calling. No matter what form it takes, bullying has many negative effects.
When children are bullied, it can lead to:
- A desire to avoid school or other environments where bullying occurs
- Depression or anxiety
- Frequent sickness (or faking illness)
- Loneliness
- Lower academic achievement
- Poor body image
- Reduced self-esteem
- Self-harm
- Sleep issues or regular nightmares
- Thoughts of suicide
“Getting bullied can be a really traumatic experience for anyone and especially for a child,” says Hannah Simon, M.D., assistant professor of Clinical Psychiatry and child psychiatrist at Weill Cornell Medicine. “[Additionally], bullying is evolving as our technology moves at rapid paces.”
These new forms of bullying expanded to the digital realm can make bullying harder to detect. Some bullying doesn’t produce any noticeable warning signs. It’s important to ask children whether they experience any bullying behavior.
How can you prevent bullying?
Build a Safe Environment
Bullying prevention starts with creating an inclusive space that welcomes and respects all children. Communicating to your child an expectation of how to treat others promotes respect and kindness. When people learn to actively listen to others, it can promote positive interactions and help establish a culture of tolerance and understanding.
Teach Coping Skills
When bullying occurs at school, Dr. Simon recommends talking to authority figures.
“Be an advocate and talk to the school,” she says. “Liaison with the school early on to make sure they’re aware of the situation.”
Most schools offer bullying education, which helps correct the problem over time. Until then, help your child learn resilience with the following coping techniques:
- Be assertive. Reenact bullying scenarios with your child and teach your child how to be assertive yet kind.
- Stick with friends. Encourage your child to avoid being alone. Have your child go to class and ride the bus with a friend.
- Talk to teachers. Your child shouldn’t hesitate to talk with a teacher about bullying.
With the advent of cyberbullying, parents have new challenges. Maintain full access to your child’s devices, store all devices in a public space such as the kitchen and end screen time at the same time every night. These small tips reduce the risk of potential cyberbullying.
Correcting Bully Behavior
If your child is a bully, these tips may help.
- Build your child’s self-esteem. Low self-esteem can affect even the most popular children. When it does, low self-esteem can cause a child to bully others.
- Look in the mirror. Some bullies mirror behaviors learned at home. If you’re aggressive or overbearing, your child is more likely to show bully behavior.
- Talk it through. Get the details about the bullying incident. Have your child step into the bullied person’s shoes. Ask how your child would feel on the receiving end of bullying.
- Unlearn bullying. If your child bullies others after feeling insulted, teach them better ways to respond. Discuss the issue with a teacher.
“Just because a kid may engage in bullying, it does not necessarily mean they are a bad kid,” Dr. Simon says. “They made a mistake, and there are many opportunities to remedy that.”
Find a doctor at Weill Cornell Medicine to help manage bullies and other childhood issues.