What to do if your teen is a victim of bullying. Support references for parents if and when your child is being picked on or abused or hurt.
Presented by BetterHelp.
One of the most difficult moments a parent can face is hearing that their child is being harmed or picked on at school— a place where they’re supposed to be safe to learn and make friends. No matter your child’s age, it’s only natural to be protective over them, even during their teenage years.
It can be easy to feel angry, overwhelmed, and sad upon hearing this news, and knowing how to handle the situation can present an even greater challenge. In this article, we’ll discuss what to do if you discover that your teen is being bullied and offer resources that may be helpful to you as a parent in this situation.
What Is Bullying?
Bullying refers to a consistent and intentional effort to harm, intimidate, or harass another person using words, actions, or a combination of both. While children and teens are most often the victims of bullying, adults can also be exposed to this unwanted behavior. Bullying can take place in person or online; when it happens through texts, calls, social media, or other forms of technology, it’s known as cyberbullying. Some examples of bullying behavior include:
- Making threats
- Calling someone names
- Hitting, kicking, or punching someone
- Stalking
- Excluding someone from social situations
- Racism or discrimination
- Purposefully embarrassing someone
- Spreading rumors
- Making hurtful or offensive jokes
- Using intimidating behaviors
- Hurling insults
- Spitting on someone
Bullying can happen anywhere but typically takes place at school or, nowadays, online.
Support References For Parents
While there are practical ways to get your child help, such as having them participate in children’s therapy, there are also resources that can help you stay knowledgeable and informed on the topic of bullying as a parent—allowing you to offer encouragement and support from home. The following are various support references designed with parents and their children in mind.
If your teen hasn’t told you they’re being bullied, but you’re concerned about the way they’ve been behaving lately, the tip sheet provided by Stomp Out Bullying could be helpful. This resource offers advice for spotting bullying, including warning signs and how to approach the issue with your child. It can be useful in ensuring that you’re handling the situation with sensitivity and awareness.
This website allows teens to learn more about what bullying entails, the different forms of bullying, and how to prevent it and ask for help. It offers resources and information using videos, personal testimonies, quizzes, and presentations to help teens stay engaged. Your teen can even use a unique feature called “Ask Jamie” to get their questions about bullying answered. There’s also an option to take a pledge, which encourages your teen to do their part to end bullying.
Teens may be more susceptible to cyberbullying than their younger counterparts, as they’re more likely to have phones, laptops, and other forms of technology. This tip sheet provided by Stomp Out Bullying can help you understand how cyberbullying differs from in-person bullying and allow you to approach the situation with ample knowledge.
The Stop Bullying Now website provides research about preventing bullying and minimizing its negative impacts. It seeks to bring an end to bullying by using evidence-based techniques and implementing different programs in schools. The site covers in-person bullying as well as cyberbullying and includes additional resources for parents and teens alike.
The Bully Project focuses on ending the culture of bullying in schools across America. This website includes a link to a documentary called Bully, which follows the lives of kids experiencing bullying. Bully seeks to show that anyone can be a victim of bullying, regardless of where they live, what they look like, and how much money their family comes from. The Bully Project also supports the 10 Million Kids Campaign, which has a goal of reaching 10 million kids with the documentary.
Supporting Your Teen Through Adulthood
Even as your teen grows up, they’ll likely still turn to you for advice, comfort, or encouragement from time to time. While they may not need you in the capacity they did when they were a young child, you can still play an important role in their lives even as they become adults.
While an issue like bullying may be commonplace, that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. By doing your research, staying connected and close with your teen, and finding extra support and resources as needed, you can help your child through their teenage years and beyond—whether they’re facing bullying, a breakup, or some other challenge. Reminding your teen that they’re never alone can be invaluable as they begin to make their mark on the world.
