What Should You Do If Your Child Is A Bully?
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Bullying is a common occurrence in schools regardless of the ages of students. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports of bullying are highest in middle schools (28%)External link:open_in_new followed by high schools (16%), combined schools (12%) and primary schools (9%). And while bullying often happens at school, children and teens are vulnerable to bullies anywhere. Cyberbullying is on the rise, with Pew Research Center data showing that about 6 in 10 teens have been bullied or harassed onlineExternal link:open_in_new.
“Bullying is not normal, natural or necessary,” said Barbara ColorosoExternal link:open_in_new, speaker and author of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Not-So-Innocent Bystander. “You have to learn to be mean to someone else.”
But if it’s a learned behavior, Coloroso believes it can also be unlearned. And parents who discover that their child is bullying someone else can play an important part in putting an end to the inappropriate behavior. Below, we will cover effective strategies for parents, teachers and students to address bullying.