Work Together to Prevent Social Bullying

May 15, 2024

No one likes feeling left out from their peers. When kids leave someone out on purpose, spread rumors about someone, or do anything that involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships, it is called social bullying. Social bullying is all too common, and it can make kids feel alone. Parents, caregivers, school staff, and community members can play important roles in preventing social bullying. Caring adults can help kids understand bullying, talk to kids about their days and school lives, and model positive behaviors to help prevent social bullying. But another important part of protecting kids from social bullying is helping them build resilience . Everyone can do their part to help make sure all kids are safe from social bullying.

5 Ways to Help Kids Build Resilience
Resilience is the quality that allows some people to be knocked down by the adversities of life and come back as strong as they were before, or even stronger. People who are highly resilient find a way to change course, emotionally heal, and keep moving forward toward their goals. Building resilience can help kids who experience bullying bounce back and overcome bullying. You can help kids build resilience by:

Spending quality time with kids, talking about challenges, and working towards goals together.
Modeling a positive attitude when you’re in challenging situations.
Teaching kids how to manage their stress. Wellness activities like exercise or cooking are fun ways kids and adults can release stress.
Staying aware of the things going on in kids’ lives.
Giving emotional support to kids, especially when you are solving problems and responding to negative behavior.

With a little help from caring adults, kids can build resilience that can help protect them from difficult experiences like social bullying. Having support from adults can make all the difference for kids being bullied. Learning how to prevent and respond to bullying is key to making sure no kid knows what it feels like to be left out or alone among their peers.