Bullying No Way: How to stop it

With one in four Australian school-aged children experiencing bullying, the Bullying No Way: National Week of Action from August 11-15 comes at a critical time, according to parenting advocates Triple P - Positive Parenting Program. Here are some tips to stop bullying in its tracks.

Triple P International Country Director Carol Markie-Dadds says according to a recent Triple P survey of parents, bullying and online safety have become two of the top parental challenges in the past two years, tripling in prevalence.

“Childhood bullying is worsening. The ongoing news headlines and more than 1600 submissions to the Australian Government’s Anti-Bullying Rapid Review are evidence of bullying’s pervasive and devastating long-term impacts on children, families, and communities,” she says.

“Bullying can seriously impact a child’s mental health and wellbeing throughout their school years and well into adulthood.

“The mental health implications are significant, with rising concerns about children's emotional resilience and social development.

“The solution lies in empowering parents and carers, who remain the most influential figures in a child's life, to confidently support their child if they’re experiencing bullying.

“By building positive school-family partnerships and having access to free, proven-to-work parenting support like Triple P, families can learn to recognise and address bullying behaviours while helping children develop confidence and resilience.”

Families can do these three things to stop bullying in its tracks

Build confidence and resilience to ‘be bold’: Building confidence starts with reinforcing self-esteem through hobbies and activities children enjoy. Resilience comes when kids face challenging situations and bounce back from setbacks. Remind them that they are loved and valued, no matter what.

‘Be kind’ to beat bullying: Parents and carers can demonstrate what empathy and social skills look like in everyday activities. Children develop empathy over time and at their own pace. Encouraging children to consider others' feelings, practice turn-taking and include peers in activities, helps create a kindness culture at home, school, and in virtual spaces.

Create a safe space to ‘speak up’: Regular check-ins with kids create a safe space for open communication. Ask open-ended questions like, 'What was the best part of your day?' and 'Was there anything that upset you or could have gone better?' to encourage honest communication with your child. Let kids know it's okay to feel scared or worried, and that they won't get in trouble for coming to you, even if they've broken some family rules. Reinforce that it’s always better to ask for help than to worry alone.

“The National Week of Action’s theme is ‘Be Bold. Be Kind. Speak Up’, which reminds us that stopping bullying isn't just about responding to incidents – it's about proactively building a culture as a community where kindness thrives and every child feels safe, valued, and empowered to speak out,” Ms Markie-Dadds says.

“For families who have bullying concerns, the available support networks include school staff, GPs, psychologists, and school counsellors as well as eSafety Commissioner (esafety.gov.au) and Kids Helpline (kidshelpline.com.au).”

Parents and carers can access free, online parenting support 24/7 at triplep-parenting.net.au