Childhood Bullying: Tips for Parents on What to Do

The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) National Child Health Poll on childhood bullying found while most parents have a good understanding of what bullying is, and the serious potential effects on children, half of all parents still said they needed more information on how to protect their child, including on cyberbullying.

The poll also found:

• One in four (23 per cent) parents think bullying is a big problem at their child’s school
• Late primary school aged children or ‘tweens’ (aged 10 to 13 years) were more likely to have been bullied (21 per cent) compared with early primary school-aged children (14 per cent) and teenagers (17 per cent)
• Most children (85 per cent) who were bullied experienced the bullying at school
• Only half of parents (48 per cent) think their child’s school manages bullying well, yet one in ten said it was up to teachers not parents to educate children on how to respond to a bully
• Only one in three (36 per cent) think they can help make a difference in reducing bullying at their child’s school and one in four (23 per cent) were unaware of their child’s school bullying policy
• Among those bullied, verbal bullying was most common (78 per cent), followed by social bullying (56 per cent), physical bullying (49 per cent) and online bullying (30 per cent). Most children who were bullied (79 per cent) experienced two or more types of bullying, with one in eight (12 per cent) experiencing all four types of bullying
• Children with a physical or mental health disorder or disability were twice as likely to have been bullied
• Most parents (87%) are not confident they would know if their child was being bullied, and only half (46%) said they would know if their child was the bully.

‘Bullying is a health problem and a community problem – it is serious and common and it can harm the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people,’ said Poll Director, paediatrician Dr Anthea Rhodes.

‘The best way to address and prevent bullying is for children, parents and schools to work together in a whole-of-community approach.’

Tips for Parents

Bullying

1. Talk with your child regularly and listen to what they have to say
2. Reassure your child that it’s not their fault and bullying is never ok
3. Contact your child’s school for support
4. It’s best not to approach the bully or their parents yourself
5. Seek help from a counsellor, psychologist or GP if needed.

Cyberbullying

1. Block or defriend the offender
2. Discuss the situation with a school staff member
3. Collect evidence with screen shots
4. Report inappropriate behaviour to the app or social media site
5. Report inappropriate behaviour to the eSafety Commissioner.

We thank The RCH National Health Poll for allowing us to republish this post. You can read the original and find more resources.

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