Helping Your Child Navigate Bullying
Teach Empathy to Prevent Cruelty
As a parent, it’s scary to think about the different types of bullying our children face in this modern, technological era. With the prevalence of social media, bullying is now a 24/7, nonstop issue. It has changed the way bullying occurs and has increased its audience many times over. But we have an advantage over bullying—by teaching our children from a young age not only how to recognize and confront bullying, but how to be kind, generous, empathetic citizens, we can prevent bullying from ever happening in the first place.
Every young person deserves to feel safe, respected, and supported.
Bullying can happen at school, in social settings, and online. As a parent or caregiver, you play an important role in helping your child recognize bullying, respond safely, treat others with empathy, and know when to ask for help.
What Is Bullying?
Indiana law defines bullying as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived imbalance of power. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.
Bullying can take several forms:
Verbal: name-calling, teasing, threats, or hurtful comments
Social: spreading rumors, embarrassing someone, or intentionally excluding them
Physical: hitting, pushing, threatening, or damaging belongings
Cyberbullying: using social media, texts, group chats, gaming platforms, or other technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or exclude someone
Know the Warning Signs
As a parent, caregiver, educator, or safe adult, you often know the young people in your life better than anyone else. Paying attention to changes in behavior and taking concerns seriously can make a critical difference. Recognizing the warning signs that a child may be experiencing bullying—or engaging in bullying behavior—is an important first step in preventing harm and helping young people get the support they need.
Watch for changes such as:
Avoiding school, friends, or activities
Unexplained injuries or damaged belongings
Frequent headaches or stomach aches
Changes in sleeping or eating habits
Declining grades or loss of interest in school
Changes in mood or self-esteem
Increased anxiety about phones, social media, or going online
Also watch for signs that your child may be bullying others, including:
Increased aggression
Frequent conflicts
Disciplinary problems
Blaming others
Difficulty taking responsibility
Strong focus on popularity and social status
Start the Conversation
Regular conversations can make it easier for your child to come to you when something is wrong.
Try asking:
“How are things going with your friends?”
“Have you seen anyone being picked on or left out?”
“Has anyone made you feel uncomfortable or unsafe?”
“What would you do if you saw someone being bullied?”
“Is anything happening online that you want to talk about?”
Listen without judgment and take their concerns seriously. Remind your child that reporting harmful or unsafe behavior isn’t tattling—it’s asking for help.
If Your Child Is Being Bullied
Listen
Give your child space to explain what happened and how they feel.
Reassure Them
Let them know you’re glad they told you and that you’ll work together to address the situation.
Document Incidents
Save dates, details, screenshots, messages, photos, and other relevant information.
Contact the School
Talk with a teacher, counselor, administrator, or other appropriate staff member and ask about the school’s bullying policies and reporting process.
Create a Safety Plan
Identify safe adults your child can go to and safe ways to respond if bullying happens again.
Follow Up
Continue checking in with your child and the school to make sure the situation is improving.
If Your Child Is Bullying Others
Learning that your child has hurt or bullied another student can be difficult, but your response matters.
Stay calm and try to understand what happened. Make it clear that bullying behavior is not acceptable while giving your child an opportunity to take responsibility and make better choices.
Help your child:
Understand how their behavior affected someone else
Take responsibility without blaming others
Develop healthier ways to handle conflict and emotions
Practice empathy and respectful communication
Make amends when appropriate
Understand expectations for future behavior
Work with your child’s school or other safe adults when additional support is needed.
Help Your Child Stay Safe Online
Cyberbullying can happen through social media, texts, group chats, gaming platforms, and other digital spaces.
Talk regularly about your child’s online experiences and encourage them to:
Think before posting, commenting, or sharing
Never forward embarrassing or hurtful content
Protect passwords and personal information
Save evidence of cyberbullying
Block and report harmful accounts or content
Tell a safe adult when something online feels unsafe
Make sure your child knows they can come to you for help without automatically losing access to their devices.
Teach Them to Be an Upstander
Children can play an important role in preventing bullying—even when they aren’t directly involved.
Encourage your child to:
Refuse to participate in bullying
Avoid liking, sharing, or forwarding hurtful content
Include someone who is being left out
Check on someone who has been mistreated
Speak up when it is safe
Tell a safe adult when someone needs help
They don’t need to confront another student or put themselves in danger to be an upstander.
Prevention Starts With Us
Parents and caregivers are powerful role models.
Children learn empathy, kindness, communication, and respect by watching the adults around them. Talk about how your family treats others, model healthy ways to handle disagreements, and encourage your child to include and support others.
Creating a culture where young people feel safe speaking up is one of the most important steps we can take to prevent bullying.
HELPFUL Resources
StopBullying.gov
Information for families about bullying, cyberbullying, prevention, and responding to bullying.
Visit: stopbullying.gov
PACER National Bullying Prevention Center
Resources and tools for parents, students, educators, and communities.
Visit: https://www.pacer.org/bullying/
Cyberbullying Research Center
Research and practical resources for preventing and responding to cyberbullying.
Visit: https://cyberbullying.org/
Indiana Department of Education
Indiana bullying prevention information and school resources.
Visit: https://www.in.gov/doe/
Indiana Youth Institute
Research and resources focused on the well-being of Indiana youth.
Visit: https://iyi.org/
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 for immediate mental health support.