If you’ve recently discovered that your teen is being bullied at school, you are probably wondering how to stop it. Most teenagers witness or experience some form of bullying in high school and don’t know what to do about it. However, not all bullies are just looking for a way to put other’s down. Let’s dive into some different reasons why teens bully others and discuss ways to avoid bullying, stop bullying, and prevent bullying in the future. Think your kid could be the bully? This article is for you too.
Control
Many teens feel a lack of control over their own lives in high school. They want to be independent but aren’t quite able to do everything on their own yet. As a means to figure out who they are and how to take control of their situation, some teens turn to bullying. Girls are known to have a greater desire for power and use bullying as a means to get their way. By gossiping, spreading rumors, and pitting a group against a certain kid, they experience a sense of control and power. The 2004 movie, Mean Girls, perfectly portrays how girls manipulate each other in order to gain control without resorting to any kind of violence. Teach your daughters that there is nothing to gain by putting other people down. Girls that make you feel bad about yourself are not worthwhile friends.
Attention
All children desire attention as they grow up, and some feel a lack of it in their lives. Because of this lack, they seek to fill the void in other ways and will gladly take both positive and negative forms of attention. Many kids bully because they get noticed that way, and they feel more important when they get attention. Cyberbullying is more common than ever, and kids are using the ability to be anonymous as an excuse to say whatever they want. What they don’t realize is that the consequences of this behavior can and have been deadly. The best way to protect your child is to teach them to not chat with anyone online that they don’t know or who isn’t their friend. Teach them how to recognize who their true friends are and encourage them to join a club or get a new friend group if their current one isn’t a good influence.
Revenge
Some kids who have been victims of bullying in the past become bullies themselves. They feel a need to seek revenge on those who have hurt them and choose bullying as a way to deal with their fear and resentment. Being in a position of power helps them get over their fear of being belittled again. These teens need to find a better way to deal with their emotions and move on. If your child has been a victim of bullying, try explaining to them that bullying others only causes them the same pain and doesn’t benefit them in any way. Try to help them forgive and be kinder to others as a result of their bullying instead.
Difficulties at Home
Teens who come from broken homes or difficult circumstances often see violence modeled for them at home and think that violence is the only way to deal with negative emotions. They have never been taught how to talk things out or be kind to others. The most important thing is your child’s safety. If they are being bullied by someone who has a difficult home situation, the best thing they can do is avoid them and show that they aren’t intimidated by them. These types of bullies aren’t necessarily trying to make anyone feel bad, but they do desire some control over their lives and aren’t sure how else to act.
Prejudices
Bullies like to target people that are different. That has been a motivation of the bully since the beginning of time. Making people that have disabilities, are a minority, or are of a different religion or sexual orientation feel estranged helps the bully feel like he/she fits in. This is harmful for many reasons, and all schools need to encourage more acceptance and diversity. Teach your children to accept all kinds of people and treat them how they would want to be treated. If your child is the victim in this situation, help them to be proud of who they are and teach them not to give in to bullies. Many bullies are looking for a reaction from their victims and are more encouraged to continue the bullying the bigger the reaction is.
The Solution
Teens that have struggled with bullying may feel like they’ve tried everything, but they just can’t get that target off their back. One solution to the bullying problem is taking your teen out of the equation. Online homeschooling options offer accredited programs that allow you to earn your diploma online and at your own pace. You can take courses from the comfort of your own home, a library, or even a city abroad. All you need is a Wi-Fi signal and a computer, and you can graduate high school on your own terms, without worrying about bullies. Enrollment is always available, and a diploma from The High School of America will qualify you for the same jobs and colleges that anyone with a diploma from a traditional high school would be. Bullying is an unfortunate part of high school that no one should have to worry about. Find out more about online high school and eliminate bullying from your life for good.