Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior directed toward another person. It can happen in physical, verbal, or psychological ways. Bullying is often repeated and can range from shoving, name-calling, and mocking to spreading rumors and making others feel excluded. When a child is bullied, it can be emotionally stressful and affect their sense of safety and self-worth. Parents, teachers, and other adults can help kids deal with bullying by creating open communication and learning strategies for kids to use when faced with a bullying situation.

Help your child open up when you suspect bullying:

• Find ways to bring up the issue. For example, if you're watching a TV show together where the characters face bullying, ask, "Have you ever seen this happen at school?"
• Let your kids know that if they're being bullied, it's important to talk to someone about it. This can be you, another trusted adult, or a sibling.
• Discuss bullying with your child so that they will be prepared, even if bullying isn't an issue for your child right now.

Show your child you want to help:

• Listen calmly and offer support. Kids are often scared to tell adults about bullying. They may feel embarrassed and ashamed that it's happening, or worry that their parents will be disappointed, upset, or angry.
• Praise your child for doing the right thing by talking to you about it.
• Remind your child that they are not alone.

Coach your child on dealing with a bully:

• Tell your child to avoid the bully and use the buddy system with friends.
• Make sure your child knows they can firmly and clearly tell the bully to stop, then walk away without responding further to any remarks.
• Do not encourage fighting back or bullying others in response to being bullied. 
• Practice calming techniques with your child to help them avoid reacting emotionally to the bully's actions in the moment.

• You suspect your child is being bullied
• You need help exploring school or legal policies around bullying
• You find that your child is expressing feelings of hopelessness 
• You suspect your child is being abused physically, emotionally, or sexually

• You're worried your child has thoughts of self-harm.
• You're worried that your child might hurt other people.

What are the warning signs that my child is being bullied? Kids who are being bullied might:

• act differently or seem anxious
• not eat or sleep well
• not do the things they usually enjoy
• avoid certain situations (like taking the bus to school)

What is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is when someone uses technology to harass, threaten, or embarrass another person. It can happen on devices like smartphones, computers, and gaming systems and can have all the same negative effects as other types of bullying.