Why do children bully? And what can parents DO ABOUT IT?

Bullying is unfortunately a common problem in Australian schools, with surveys suggesting one in five teenagers are bullied.

- MANDIE SHEAN

While schools are responsible for ensuring a safe environment, parents are likely to be distressed and unsure about what to do if their child is being bullied.

What exactly is bullying? And how can you help your child if you are concerned?

What is bullying?

Bullying is not just kids being thoughtless or a bit mean. It is not a single act, a mistake, or a mutual disagreement.

Bullying is a repeated act of aggression intended to cause harm. It can be physical (harming the person or their belongings), verbal (written and spoken words that cause harm), or social (isolating someone, harming their social standing, or sharing private information).

It is not a “normal” childhood experience. It is targeted and has long-lasting and serious effects for the victim.

These effects include reduced engagement in education and loneliness at school, loss of self-esteem, psychological distress, depressive symptoms, problems with sleep, suicide and suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury and substance abuse.

Bullying can be overt and hidden

Bullying can be overt with observable actions like kicking or name-calling.

Or it can be covert, which is hidden and can include whispering, exclusion, and rumours. While females and males are equally likely to have experienced bullying and are equally likely to bully, males are more likely to engage in overt physical bullying, while females are more likely to engage in covert bullying through social or cyber behaviour.

A 2019 Mission Australia survey found 21 percent of young people aged 15-19 reported bullying in the past 12 months. Of those who had been bullied, nearly 80 percent said the bullying happened in school.

More than 70 percent said the bullying is verbal, 61 percent said it's social, 36.5 percent said it is cyberbulling and about 20 percent said it is physical.