By Fred Pry for THE CHRISTIAN POST
Did you experience bullying as a kid? Maybe it was on the playground, during lunch in the cafeteria or on a bus. Bullying hurts, no matter where it takes place; but unfortunately, the places and types of bullying today’s kids can experience have only increased.
In fact, most social bullying instances have moved from in-person, physical attacks to happening almost entirely online — and often, more frequently as kids are emboldened by anonymity and safety behind a screen.
Here are six ways you can help teach the children in your life how to deal with the most common form of bullying kids face in their day-to-day lives: cyberbullying, or social bullying.
1. Be safe to talk to
The first and most important step to help kids deal with social bullying is to make sure they know you’re a safe person to talk to about it. After all, if you don’t know it’s happening, it can be hard to help them through it. Admittedly, getting kids to talk to you about social bullying can be difficult. They may be too embarrassed to talk about it. Maybe they feel like it’s something they should be able to handle themselves, or maybe they’re scared that getting adults involved will make their situation worse, get them in trouble, or restrict their online activities. Do your best to make sure kids know that you’re safe to talk to — no matter what the situation is — and that you’ll always seek what’s best for everyone involved.
