Teen bullying has been much in the news lately, particularly in the light of a few heartbreaking teen suicides that were related to bullying. School-age bullying is certainly a concern raised by a lot of parents that we speak to. No doubt it is a concern shared by many of your employees, just one of the many worrisome distractions that is on the minds of working parents in the course of the workday. Bullying is nothing new – we probably all remember bullies from our childhood. But from yesteryear to today, the world has changed. Most families have two working parents today, so kids are often spending longer days with their peer group and less time under parental supervision. Plus, new technologies offer new challenges for keeping kids safe.
Bullying can take many forms, both physical and verbal. It may include actual physical assault or peer pressure, ridicule, threats, or teasing. It can also occur in the form of cyberbullying, through online social networks such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter, or through text messaging and email. Statistics show that is quite prevalent and parents are often unaware of the scope, the severity, and the impact on their child. Even when aware, parents often feel ill-equipped to deal with bullying, and may be unprepared to deal with some of the newer forms of online bullying.
We’ve compiled some bullying resources primarily aimed at parents that may be useful tools to share with your employees.
Stop Bullying Now! from the Health Resources & Service Administration offers parental resources. Also see the Kids’ and teens pages.
KidsHealth from The Nemours Center for Children’s Health Media offers great information for parents, children and teens. Some specific resources that they offer around the topic of bullying include Helping kids deal with bullies; Teaching kids not to bully, and Helping kids deal with cliques, There’s also a good teen guide: Dealing with bullying
Other resources:
Bullying sites by and for kids: Teens Against Bullying and Kids Against Bullying
Cyberbullying and online safety
One of the aspects of teen bulling that seems particularly frightening to many parents is cyberbullying, or online bullying. It’s important for parents to understand new technologies and how their kids are using social media. But some would caution that we should not create a cyberbullying panic: new media is here to stay and the more parents can learn about it, the better they can monitor and advise their kids. Here are some resources we’ve found to help.
Commonsense media offers a variety of online resources for parents, including a plethora of information on social networking and virtual worlds and Internet Safety
Connect Safely – designed to give teens and parents a voice in the public discussion about youth online safety and to offer social-media safety tips for teens and parents.
Guide to Facebook Security Settings and Situations
Stop Cyberbullying – from Wired
Talking to kids and teens about social media and texting – tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics
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