When Your Teen is Bullied: How to Tell and What to Do
by Joe Bruzzese
Once viewed as an extreme case of how bullying breaks down teen girls, the “Odd Girl” persona now defines a growing number of female bullying victims. In a recent national survey of students in grades 6-10, 30% reported being the target of bullies. Of the victims reporting abuse nearly 60% said they were bullied with threatening or embarrassing words through e-mail, instant messages, web sites, chat rooms, or text messages. The rise of cyberbullying (bullying through the use of technology) now runs rampant among the teen population. Gossip once confined to notes and conversations in the halls flows freely from one friend’s phone to the next before finding its way online.
“Being bullied is not just an unpleasant rite of passage through childhood,” said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the NICHD. “It’s a public health problem that merits attention. People who were bullied as children are more likely to suffer from depression and low self esteem, well into adulthood, and the bullies themselves are more likely to engage in criminal behavior later in life.”
Whether bullying happens in person or online, it isn’t something that parents should merely observe from the sidelines – particularly given the serious emotional and physical abuse that can occur. Here are four signs to watch out for when trying to determine if your child is being bullied:
1. Reluctance to leave home. Refusing to attend school, sports practices and other extracurricular activities may be a sign that your child is being bullied. “I mistook my daughter’s anxiety about getting ready for school in the morning for an attempt to prevent us from getting out the door.” Said Dana, a middle school parent in Denver, CO. “I later found out she had been bullied for over a month. I didn’t see it.”
