Have you ever been a target of bullying during your teenage years? If yes, then you are not alone as Family First Aid statistics revealed that there are roughly 30% teenagers in the United States who are either victims or bullies, and the worst thing is that this percentage has an upward trend. According to a study conducted by American Psychology Association on 15,688 U.S school students, 17% of the total students reported that they were being bullied frequently in school. It is imperative to mention that these figures are just rough estimates; most of the targets of bullying are so scared that they never share this problem with their parents. The purpose of sharing these statistics is to throw the limelight on this sensitive issue and to promote a sense of urgency during while searching for an answer to how to prevent bullying in our society.

Consequences of Bullying

Youngsters are the future of any country. They need a safe and healthy environment where they can grow and prosper. Bullying not only affects the mental health of the target, but also sometimes leads to severe illness and even death. A large number of articles have been written on bullying and teenagers with the core purpose of enhancing the awareness about it.

Best Ways to Prevent Bullying

When it comes to bullying, teenagers are relatively an easier target compared to adults. A few ways by which you can prevent bullying up to a great extent are discussed below.

Educate Teenagers

The best way to prevent bullying especially among teenagers is by increasing awareness. Parents should educate their children about it. In the same way, educational institutions must also arrange awareness sessions for the students where they should be told about different ways of coping with this negative behavior. Students should be given confidence to report bullying. It is also the responsibility of our government to initiate bullying awareness and prevention campaigns on a mass level, especially targeting the school and college students. Social media like Facebook, Twitter etc. can also be used for this purpose as a large number of teenagers use social media. The management of foster care institutions must also make sure to educate foster kids about bullying and its prevention. In short, kids should be given awareness about bullying from very young age. It is best if the teachers and parents do this as children mostly listen to them.

Be Brave Enough to Report Bullying

The worst thing a teen can do to self is not telling anyone that he/she is a victim of bullying. Encourage them to report bullying to the relevant authorities, even if they are not the victims but merely witness to it. Schools, colleges and universities have separate departments allocated for resolving these issues. Skye Mitchell is a source of an inspiration for all the teenager girls and boys in this regard. She was being bullied over her looks but she faced it bravely instead of losing hope. She won the Miss South Lakes Award and showed her bullies that she would not bow down to the hurt they caused her. She is now leading a campaign to help the victims of bullying. Teenagers should take inspiration from this young lady and not let the hurtful words or actions strip them of their confidence or courage.

Foster Friendly Environment

Punishing the bully is certainly not a good solution as there is no guarantee that he or she will not repeat this behavior in the future. There is a need to create a friendly environment where no one exhibits bullying behavior. Standing your ground and zero-tolerance approach to bullying is what is preferred the most. If we let bullies live in a friendly environment, they may never repent and leaver their behavior.

Parents Must Play Their Role Efficiently

Teenagers are usually close to their parents and when they are not, it is still the foremost responsibility of the parents to make sure that everything is fine. Parents must spend some quality time with the kids and they should motivate them to share their problems openly. This is important because teenage is a really sensitive age and issues like bullying can have a negative impact on their mental growth. We should fight against bullying not only at an individual level but also on collective level in order to keep our children safe from long lasting pain and misery.