Bullying is never okay, but it’s especially not okay if it happens to your child or if they are the ones being bullies to someone else. Whether you’re a parent looking to prevent bullying in your child’s life or an employee looking to keep bullies out of the workplace, bullying prevention can help you maintain the positive environment of your home or business.
Key Takeaways
Prevention: Learn how to identify bullying and stand up to it safely
Learn how to identify bullying and stand up to it safely. You can prevent bullying by making sure your child knows what to do if they are bullied or see someone else being bullied. Make sure your child knows the difference between teasing and bullying, and that there are lots of ways to stand up for themselves in a safe way.
How to talk to your children about bullying
Here are some tips for parents to use when talking to their children about bullying. First, it is important to make sure that your child feels comfortable opening up to you about physical bullying, emotional bullying, or online bullying. Ask them if they have experienced any bullying or harassment and if so, what were the circumstances and how did the incident make them feel? Second, try not to overreact.
Sometimes we just need a safe space to express our feelings and talking to your parents might not be that comfortable. A great way to do it is through unanimous posting online or a private diary. If you know someone who has a hard time expressing their feelings but wants to, recommend Klokbox. It’s a private space online, no one sees what you’ve kloked (added on the Klokbox platform) unless you want to. Try it out yourself here:
Cyberbullying
Bullying is an issue that affects our children in schools, at home, and online. The best way to prevent bullying is to stop it before it happens. Here are some tips for parents on how they can help their kids prevent bullying:
Encourage your child to join a club or group at school where they will have friends and the other kids will see them as someone worth getting to know. Here are 7 tips for bully prevention that will have you on the right path in no time.
1. Talk to your kids about bullying
It is important to talk to your kids about bullying and make sure that they know how to recognize it. It is more prevalent than ever before and often goes unnoticed. Make sure that your kids know who to turn to if they are being bullied and what the best way for them to react is. Talk with your child about ways they can prevent bullying or stop it altogether.
If your child comes to you and says they’re being bullied, it’s important to stay calm. Listen to what they have to say and ask questions to get the full story. Once you know what’s going on, you can work with your child to come up with a plan to stop the bullying.
2. Monitor your child’s online activity
As a parent, it’s important to monitor your child’s online activity to help protect them from cyberbullying. Monitoring your child’s online activity is one of the best ways to help prevent cyberbullying. This can be done by paying attention to the websites they visit, the people they talk to online, and the content they share. Make sure you have parental controls enabled on your internet service, which will allow you to see all the websites that your child has visited. If you see anything that makes you concerned, talk to your child about it and help them stay safe online.
3. Teach your child how to stand up for themselves
Did you know that the best way to stop a bully is to tell them NO? You can say no in an assertive way and walk away. If they won’t stop, it may be time for adults to step in.
- Tell the bully NO
- Walk away from the situation
- If the bullying continues call an adult
- Seek out friends and find a safe place
- Keep telling yourself that you’re not alone
4. Encourage your child to be inclusive
Encourage your child to be inclusive by playing with children who are different from them. Use empathy when they feel attacked in any way, and encourage them to take a step back and see how they can change the situation. Teach them to speak up when they see someone being bullied so that everyone can work together to stop bullying in their community.
5. Model respectful behaviour
We all have a responsibility to stop bullying. Parents, teachers and students must work together to promote respect in their schools and communities. Kids are watching you so it’s important that they see you act with kindness. Speak up when you witness bullying. If your child is being bullied, speak up and let the bully know that this behaviour is not acceptable.
6. Get involved in your child’s school
It is important to get involved in your child’s life and school. Speak up if you see bullying happening, talk to the teachers about any issues with bullies and ask them how they are going to handle it. Get to know your child’s friends and don’t be afraid to ask questions about what they are learning at school. This will make it easier for you if bullying becomes a problem.
7. Seek professional help if needed
If you think your child is being bullied or if you have any questions about preventing bullying in your child’s life, please seek professional help from a mental health professional or talk to someone at your school. You can also call a toll-free hotline for information and support at 1-800-273-8255 (USA), 0300 323 0169 (UK) or 0845 22 55 787 (UK).
When it comes to children bullying prevention, being proactive is the best way to stop bullying before it begins. Use these seven tips and get your kids protected from the effects of bullying:
- Take inventory of your child’s surroundings. Kids today can face cyberbullies while they’re still in the comfort of their own homes. Encourage family members and friends to report any bullying they hear about to you so you can intervene.
- Start a dialogue with your child about what is appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. Keep in mind that children might not realize their behaviour has consequences when speaking digitally or anonymously. Address this fact by talking about it openly with them so they have a better understanding of how their words could affect others.
Have you encountered bullying, do you know someone who has? What are your thoughts and tips on how to deal with online and offline bullying? Let us know and share your tips with others down below!