Bullying is such a national conversation that the U.S. government has a website focused on the subject: stopbullying.gov. At least 10 percent of children are bullied, with technology changing bullying dynamics most dramatically. Classic playground and lunchroom tensions will always exist, but smartphones, YouTube and social media platforms have taken bullying to a public and ignominious level.
The New Yorker, reporting in 2015, stated: “Before the Internet, bullying ended when you withdrew from whatever environment you were in. But now, the bullying dynamic is harder to contain and harder to ignore.”
Bullying is not just physical threats and harm, but verbal and emotional taunts. Warning signs of a bullied child include changes in behaviors, such as eating, sleeping and interaction, as well as frequent head and stomach aches, and more severe evidences of self harm or talk of suicide.
Parents magazine offers that because aggressive behavior mostly occurs behind the scenes — on buses, SnapChat, etc. — caregivers need to look for warning signs and be proactive: Learn a school’s anti-bullying policy, talk to teachers and guidance counselors, make official reports, speak to offenders’ parents, provide kids with practical solutions.
Kidshealth.org encourages parents to have ongoing conversations about bullying scenarios, and then listen calmly if bullying is apparent. The site explains that children are often reluctant to share about bullying in fear of parents’ over-reactions.
Refusal to go to school is often a red flag no matter if a child is 6 or 16; bullied children want to avoid a perpetrator as well as the shame that others see and know.
Stopbullying.gov lists isolation and rejection as key reasons to avoid school.