How to Determine if Your Child is being Bullied

How to Determine if Your Child is being Bullied

At some point in time, your child will encounter bullies. Bullying can cause emotional, psychological and physical stress to the victim. Every bully has a different style to intimidate and assert the power to the victim. To identify, you have to know the different types of bullying. Types include verbal bullying, physical bullying, relational aggression, sexual bullying, prejudicial bullying and cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is widespread with the aid of the Internet and smartphone. With these technologies, it is easy for someone to threaten, harass and embarrass a person because of its anonymity. According to a report spearheaded by Nominet Trust, 20% of children and young people fear cyberbullies, which made them hesitant to go to school. What’s worse is that 5% reported self-harm. This sounds alarming. Knowing these, you have to act as a parent.

It is crucial that you know how to determine if your child is being bullied. Here are some tell-tale signs if your child is being bullied in school:

Uneasy about going to school

If you notice that your child feels uneasy or nervous about going to school, this is a major warning sign that your child is not comfortable in the school environment. You have to be wary if the child continuously requests to skip school by staying home or calling to come home early.

cyberbullying

Anxious when using social media

If your child becomes extremely anxious about their phone, there is something wrong. If the child gets nervous or jumpy when using social media, it is time that you maintain a watchful eye.

Frustrated after going online

The frequent outburst of anger should be enough to worry you. You should watch out if your child is getting so frustrated or angry that the phones are thrown or slammed.

Unwilling to discuss online activities

If you notice your child being distant and secretive about online activities, it is a cyberbullying sign. Many victims of cyberbullying keep quiet because they are afraid to speak up. The bullies will take this opportunity to intimidate the victims more. If you notice a distant child, reach out as soon as you can.

Unexplained weight loss or gain

The physical manifestation of cyberbullying is unexplained weight loss or gain. Parents should be watchful because if it is ignored, the health of the child will worsen and it will be very hard to pull them back.

Trouble sleeping at night

Another physical manifestation is restlessness. If children have trouble sleeping at night, there is something that is tormenting them. This will lead to physical exhaustion or fatigue that can affect school and other interests.

Whatever the form of bullying, it affects children, teens and even adults. With this, it is important that you are aware of its repercussions and the tell-tale signs so you can do something about it. Do not just talk, act on it. Report abuse to the social media site. If you feel that nothing is done to stop bullying, it is time that you involve the police. You can also get some legal advice. There are many things that you can do to help your children.