Stop Bullying Now!

What Can Parents Do?

What we know about bullying

Bullying is aggressive behavior
that is intentional (not
accidental or done in fun) and
that involves an imbalance of
power or strength. Often,
bullying is repeated over time.

Bullying
Hitting
Punching

Teasing
Name
Calling

Physical

Nonverbal

or
Emotional

Gestures
Social
Exclusion

Verbal

Cyber
Bullying
E-mail
Phone

Physical Bullying
Hitting, pushing, kicking

Verbal Bullying
Name-calling, teasing

Nonverbal or Emotional Bullying

Intimidation using gestures, social exclusion

Cyberbullying
Sending insulting messages by phone or computer

Warning Signs
Comes home with torn, damaged, or missing
pieces of clothing, books or other belongings
Has unexplained cuts, bruises and scratches
Has few, if any friends, with who he or she
spends time
Seems afraid of going to school, walking to
and from school, riding the school bus, or
taking part in organized activities with peers

Warning Signs cont.

Takes a long, illogical route when walking to
and from school
Has lost interest in school work or suddenly
begins to do poorly in school
Appears sad, moody, teary or depressed when
he or she comes home
Complains frequently of headaches,
stomachaches or other physical ailments

Warning Signs cont.

Has trouble sleeping or has frequent bad
dreams
Experiences a loss of appetite
Appears anxious or loss of appetite
If your child shows any of these signs, this does not necessarily
mean that he or she is being bullied, but it is a possibility and worth exploring

What to do if You Suspect

Your Child is Being Bullied
Talk to your child
Tell your child you are concerned and would like to
help
Direct questions: Are there any kids at school who pick
on you, tease you or exclude you?
Indirect questions: Who are your friends this year?
Who do you sit with on the bus? Are there any kids
at school who you dont really like? Why?

What to do if You Suspect

Your Child is Being Bullied
Talk with staff at your childs school.
Meet with your childs teacher
Share your concerns
Ask questions

Set up a meeting with your childs

counselor
Notify the school administration

What Can Parents do if

Your Child is Bullied
Help your child develop talents and positive
attributes
Encourage your child make contact with other
friendly students in their classes
Encourage your child to get to know peers in
new situations

What can Parents do if Their Child

Bullies Others?
Communicate directly to the child
We know you have been involved in the
bullying
Bullying behavior is a serious matter
We will not tolerate
any future bullying
behavior

What Can Parents Do If Their

Child Bullies Others

Enforce family rules

Reinforce positive and kind behavior
Spend more time with your child
Monitor the childs behavior
Help the child find more appropriate behavior
patterns
Build upon the childs talents
Seek professional assistance, if necessary

What Doesnt Work

Ignoring the problem
Denying that your child could do such a thing
as bullying
Protecting the child from
consequences
Blaming the victim for
your childs problems

Cyberbullying
Sending mean, vulgar, or threatening
messages or images;
Posting sensitive, private information about
another person
Pretending to be someone else in order to
make that person look bad
Intentionally excluding someone from an
online group (Willard, 2005)

Common Methods of Cyberbullying

E-mails
Instant messaging
Text or digital imaging messages on cell phone
Web pages
Web logs (blogs)
Chat rooms or discussion groups
Other information communication
technologies

How Common is Cyberbullying?

Grades 6-8

Ages 10-17

Girls

18% targets at least

once in last couple of
months

15% aggressors

Twice as likely as boys

to be victims and
perpetrators

11% had bullied at

least once in last
couple of months

7% targets
3% both

46% bullied by a friend

Twice as many in 2005
as in 1999/2000

56% cyberbullied a
friend

Where Does Cyberbullying Happen?

Preteens

Teens

45% received messages

at school

30% received messages

at school

44% received messages

at home

70% received messages

at home

34% received messages

while at a friends house

25% received messages

while at a friends house

Who do Children tell if they are cyberbullied?

Preteens

Teens

51% told parents

35% told parents

31% told a brother or sister

35% told a brother or sister

27% told a teacher

9% told a teacher

44% told a friend

72% told a friend

16% told no one

16% told no one

How Does Cyberbullying Differ from other Forms?

Can occur any time of the day

Distributed quickly to a very wide

audience

Can be anonymous, which makes it

difficult to trace

What Can Adults Do to Prevent

and Address Cyberbullying?
Adults seldom are present in the online
environments frequented by children and
youth.
Therefore, It is extremely important that
adults pay close attention to the cyber
bullying and the activities of children and
youth when using these technologies

Tips to Help Prevent Cyber Bullying

Keep your home computer (s) in easily
viewable places, i.e. family room or kitchen
Talk regularly to your child about on-line
activities she or he is involved in.
Talk specifically about cyber bullying and
encourage your child to tell you immediately if he
is the victim of cyber bullying, cyberstalking, or
other illegal or troublesome on line behavior.
View the Webisondes with your child
www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

Tips to Prevent Cyber Bullying

Talk regularly to your child cont.
Encourage your child to tell you if she is aware of
others who may be the victims of cyber bullying.
Explain that cyber bullying is harmful and
unacceptable behavior. Outline your expectations
for responsible online behavior and make it clear
that there will consequences for inappropriate
behavior.

Tips to Prevent Cyber Bullying

Concerns for your childs safety may need to
override privacy concerns. Tell your child that
you may review her on-line communications if
necessary
Consider installing parental control filtering
software and/or tracking programs, but dont
rely solely on these tools

What to do When Your Child has

Experienced Cyberbullying
Encourage child not to respond to the
Cyberbully
Do not erase messages or pictures (evidence)
Try to identify the Cyberbully(s)
Get help from police if the behavior is criminal
Consider contacting internet provider and
filing a complaint
Try to block content from Cyber Bully

What to do When Your Child

has Experienced Cyberbullying
Contact your school administrator even if it is
not occurring on at school
Consider contacting the cyberbullys parents
Proceed cautiously
Communicate in writing not face to face
Present proof (e.g., copies of the e-mails)
Ask them to make sure the cyber bullying stop

What to do When Your Child has

Experienced Cyberbullying
Consider contacting an attorney
Contact police - even if you are not sure it
includes
Threats of violence
Extortion
Obscene or harassing phone call or text messages
Harassment, stalking, or hate crimes
Child pornography