How to Keep Your Kids Away From Bullying?

Bullying for kids has been categorized as a National Epidemic. It has destroyed lives in the past and has caused inconveniences to many families. The effects of bullying are many. To keep your kids away from bullying, understanding what it is and knowing some of its side effects may help.

Also, since bullying for kids has become such a big problem, many means to counter it have been devised. In the article, we shall discuss some methods to keep your kids away from bullying.

What is bullying for kids?

So, what is bullying for kids? It has been described in many different styles, all having the same meaning. A definition that encapsulates them is that bullying is the misuse of power in a relationship, physical or verbal, that causes physical or psychological harm. It is also an ongoing, repeated action.

Bullying for kids can either be over or covert, happening online or in the physical world. It has many side effects noted to be long-term and can even affect the bystanders.

However, at times one may get into disagreements, but this cannot be defined as bullying. Moreover, act of meanness or not liking someone is also not categorized as bullying. This is since it does not include single acts or incidents of aggression, conflicts, or intimidation between equals.

Why kids bully?

There are several reasons why kids bully. These may include feelings of inferiority, sexual orientation, cultural or religious beliefs, among many others. Some of the ways in how bullies pick their targets will summarize why they bully.

1. Progeny

This stems out from the reason that the other person is different. Bullying kids for their race may happen in many different ethnic groups and many forms as well.

2. Prejudicial Bullying

Bullying for kids may also happen because of their physical nature. Though this may happen between the same gender, it has also been noted to happen due to one's different physical orientation. A good example is the bullying of LGBTs.

3. Physical Orientation

Kids may also get bullied because of how they look or appear to others. The bully may target physical features such as the person's nose, ears, height, weight, or body size and make them victims of their bullying.

4. Acquaintances

Victims of bullying may be targeted because of not having someone by their side. Kids who do not have friends at school or are isolated by classmates are normally a quick target since no one will be coming to the victim's aid.

5. Cultural and Religious Beliefs

Kids are also bullied for their different beliefs, usually a common experience. This doesn't happen just to kids but to grown-ups too. This form of bullying may even get to certain extremes, just like racism, tribalism, or even nepotism.

6. Special Needs Kids

Bullying for kids with special needs happen more often in both schools and homesteads. This is because the bully targets them since the victim has a special condition requiring special attention. Some of the kids who receive such mistreatment may be suffering from ADHD, Asperger's, Autism, Dyslexia, or some other condition.

7. Popular Kids

Usually uncommon, but it happens because of their social standing, which may threaten the bully. Bullying for kids in such spheres may reach extremes such as cyberbullying or verbal bullying.

8. Impuissant

Personal vulnerabilities make way for a bully to mark and target a victim. These vulnerabilities may be in persons suffering from low self-esteem or even those with down syndrome, making it easy for a bully to target them. Those suffering from depression or stress-related conditions are also prone to bullying.

9. Excelling in Certain Fields

Bullying for kids often happens to those who are excelling in certain areas in life. From sports to education, bullying will target them since they feel overshadowed and have no chance to show their abilities. Bullies want to make the other kids feel insecure.

What are the signs of bullying?

Signs of bullying may be from both the victim and bully as well. Some of these signs are what point out shenanigans related to bullying. Below is a list of signs of bullying:

Signs of being a victim of bullying

• Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home or harming oneself.
• Low self-esteem.
• Avoiding social encounters.
• Declining grades and loss of interest in school.
• Change in behavior and other habits such as eating patterns.
• Unexplained injuries.

Signs of being the Child Bullying

• Frequently getting into fights.
• Having bullying comrades.
• Exceedingly aggressive.
• Unexplained new belongings.
• Don't own up to their responsibilities and blame others for their problems.

What should parents do to protect kids from bullying?

To better protect kids from bullying, there are things that parents should do.

• Know the types of bullying: Do some research about the types of bullying. This way, you will be able to figure out if your kids are being bullied or not.
• Be there to provide support: Parents are supposed to be the most reliable person for their kids. Whenever your kids need help, you should be there to provide support. Show your kids that you would be there for them no matter what happened to give them the strength to fight against bullying.
• Your kids are not to be blamed for being a victim of bullying: Whenever your kid come to you and claiming that he/she has been bullied at school. Don't try to blame your kids for their behaviors or dressing. Instead, trust them and take necessary actions.
• Stay connected with schools: School is where bullying happens. Stay connected with schools and teachers to get the latest information about how your kids behave at school. If their teachers report something strange, you can talk to your kids to dig out more details.

How to help your kids stay away from bullying using FamiSafe?

Now, when it comes to keeping your kids safe from bullying, you will need to find an all-around way that keeps them safe, whether in any geographical location. One highly recommended method that has worked for many and is considered the best to counter bullying for kids is FamiSafe.

As a parental control app that aims to help parents offer all-around protection for their kids, FamiSafe comes with handy features to keep kids from bullying.

FamiSafe has recently come up with a new feature dedicated to helping parents keep a closer eye on their children's messages and social accounts like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter. This feature is the Explicit Content Detection function that alerts parents when kids get suspicious messages like bullying words on the above mention account.

Besides this intuitive and very helpful new feature, some other features are also helpful for parents, as described below.

- Geofencing and Geotracking

With the use of FamiSafe, parents or guardians will be able to keep track of their children's whereabouts and get notified of every location they visit. This is through the use of the geo-tracking feature, which shows where the child is in real-time. The geofencing is a bit different in that it helps the parent set locations to receive a notification when their kids enter or leave such places.

- App Blocking and Activity Monitoring

FamiSafe features the ability for a parent to block apps and monitor what they are doing every moment when they are using their phone. The App Block feature will block apps that may distract the child during homework or sleep time, thus becoming essential to block them. Parents can also choose to block apps that can be used as the tool for bullying to protect kids from a bully.

- Web Filtering & Browser History

This is a feature that helps parents scrutinize what their kids are doing online. That is what they search on the internet and even has the ability to block certain sites or extremely mature content. Parents can also check if kids visit websites containing sensitive information like suicide or bullying using the Browser History feature.

- Screen Time and Activity Management

This feature is all about setting a time limit on the usage of the phone. This one can be used to manage their time, whereby it shuts the phone if the parents decide they may either need to have some outside playtime or study time.

- Flexibility and Remote Control

With the FamiSafe app, parents won't be bound by the need to always be close to the child to keep a lookout for them. Parents or guardians can achieve this by being away from the child but using the FamiSafe remote control function to monitor their children.

While bullying for kids has become a national epidemic, it is up to the parents to know how to keep their kids safe from bullying. Not teaching them how to avert bullies and bullying sensibly will be detrimental to their growth. This is because bullying has adverse side effects, and if they are safe, they can grow up as better people. So, to keep kids from being bullied or bullying, the parent needs to play their part, which is where FamiSafe comes with its eccentric features to help the parent or guardian keep the child safe.