One in five Australian children bullied this year as parents struggle with the impact

PARENTS don’t know where to turn to protect their kids against bullying as one in five report their child has been a target in the first school term this year.

PARENTS feel helpless to protect their children against bullying as one in five report their child has been a target in the first school term this year.

Royal Children’s Hospital research has also found children in their last years of primary school are most likely to suffer bullying, with the impact rippling through families.

Its poll of more than 1500 Australian parents revealed only half believe their child’s school handled bullying appropriately, with parents left feeling anxious, guilty and even physically sick for not being able to protect their kids.

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Despite the high number of families reporting bullying this year, the RCH’s National Child Health Poll director Dr Anthea Rhodes said the true rates are likely to be higher because many children won’t talk about it and most parents do not know how to discuss it. “There has been a lot of publicity around bullying, and some powerful campaigns, yet still this study tells us it is common,” Dr Rhodes said.

“Parents need to be having regular conversations with their kids about how things are going at school and how their friendships are, so they are more likely to know if there is a problem.”

Louisa Smith has regular conversations with her son, Cooper, 10, about bullying. Picture: Creative Studio Photography — RCH Melbourne

One in four polled parents believed bullying was a problem at their child’s school, with other findings including:

ONE in five 10-13 year-olds were likely to have been bullied, compared to 14 per cent of early primary aged children and 17 per cent of teenagers;

ALMOST nine out of 10 children had experienced bullying at school;

VERBAL bullying was the most common form, followed by social, physical and online abuse — though most were targeted in multiple ways; and

MOST parents are not confident they would know if their child was being bullied, while half said they would know if their child was bullying others.

With only a quarter of parents unaware of their child’s school bullying policy — and one in 10 saying it was a teacher’s sole responsibility to educate children on how to respond to a bully — Dr Rhodes said families needed to learn to help address the issues.

“The vast majority of parents who have had a child that was bullied have said it affected the whole family and many of those parents expressed feelings of being helpless, guilty. In some instances it ­affected their own mental health,” she said.

HELP YOUR CHILD OVERCOME BULLYING

TALK with your child regularly and listen to what they have to say

REASSURE your child it’s not their fault and bullying is never OK

CONTACT your child’s school for support

IT’S best not to approach the bully or their parents yourself

SEEK help from a counsellor, psychologist or GP if needed cyber-bullying

BLOCK or de-friend the bully

DISCUSS the situation with a school staff member

COLLECT evidence with screen shots

REPORT inappropriate behaviour to the app or social media site and to the eSafety Commissioner

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If you or someone you know needs help call Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636