Parenting school aged children
Bullying
Bullying is not a normal part of growing up and can cause long-lasting harm to a child’s emotional, social, physical, and mental well-being.
Learn about how you can help your child and where you can find support.
Free and confidential mental health services are available to support children, youth, and families at Child & Adolescent Services.
Bullying is Not a Normal Part of Growing Up
As a parent or caregiver, it can be stressful to think about your child experiencing bullying or being involved in it.
Bullying can cause serious and long-lasting harm to your child’s emotional, social, physical, and mental well-being. But there are ways you can help support them and make them feel safe.
Bullying happens when a child or group of children use their power to hurt, control, or reject someone — on purpose, repeatedly, and in a way that causes physical and/or emotional harm.
It affects everyone – the child who is bullied, the child who is bullying, and anyone who witnesses it.
Bullying is:
- Using power to control or harm others
- Done on purpose
- Repeated over time
- Harmful to emotional, social, physical, and/or mental well-being
- Targeted behaviour
Bullying can look different as children grow and change grades. Types of bullying to watch for include:
- Physical: hitting, kicking, pushing, tripping, stealing or damaging property
- Verbal: name-calling, threatening, rude or hurtful comments, teasing
- Social: excluding someone, ignoring someone, spreading rumours or gossip, embarrassing someone in public
- Cyber: harassing or threatening someone through social media, texts, e-mails, or websites
- Discriminatory: targeting someone based on ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or other parts of identity
It can be hard to know if your child is being bullied – or if they may be bullying others. By helping them build their social-emotional skills, creating a safe and supportive environment, and understanding the reasons behind their behaviour, you can help protect your child’s social, emotional, mental, and physical well-being.
Build Your Child’s Social and Emotional Skills
- Talk about kindness, empathy, and how to treat others
- Help your child learn to manage strong emotions like frustration or anger
- Teach peaceful and respectful ways to solve conflict
- Praise positive behaviour and build their self-esteem
Create Supportive Environments
- Model respectful interactions in daily life
- Set clear family rules that bullying is never okay
- Reduce opportunities for negative peer interactions
- Stay involved—know your child’s friends and check in regularly
Understand Your Child’s Behaviour
Children who bully others may:
- Struggle to understand right from wrong
- Have trouble building healthy relationships
- Find it hard to manage anger, frustration, or insecurity
- Act impulsively, take risks, or misuse substances
- Face challenges in school or with the law
- Children who are bullied may:
- Seem anxious, lonely, or withdrawn
- Change eating or sleeping habits
- Have frequent headaches or stomach aches
- Avoid school or certain activities
- Lose interest in things they used to enjoy
- Show low self-esteem
- Be at higher risk for depression or suicidal thoughts
Learn more about Bullying for Parents and Caregivers - PREVNet.
- Reassure your child you are there to listen and support them
- Reach out to Child & Adolescent Services who offers free counselling and treatment for children, youth (under 18 years of age), and their families
- Speak to your child’s teacher, vice-principal, or principal about your concerns:
For tips, videos, and tools about bullying, visit: Kids Help Phone's Bullying Resources
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