Why children bully

There are many reasons children and young people may get involved in bullying, such as:

• feeling powerless
• low self-esteem
• trying to get admiration and attention from friends
• fear of being left out if they don’t join in
• not understanding how someone else is feeling
• taking out their angry feelings
• a culture of aggression and bullying
• being bullied themselves

As a parent you may not be able to control the community or peer group that your son or daughter is part of. But there are important things you can do to reduce the chances of your child getting involved in bullying – whether it’s bullying others, being bullied themselves, or not taking any action when they see someone else bullying.

Let’s start by thinking about self-esteem. We talk a lot about self-esteem these days, but what exactly do we mean by it and why does it matter?

Self-esteem could be described as a basic sense of self-worth. It’s not about thinking you are better than everyone else, it’s about caring about yourself and other people and feeling confident to handle situations, relationships and the ups and downs of life.

Self-esteem affects the way children think, behave and relate to others. A child with self-esteem doesn’t need to dominate others to make themselves feel good – and is able to stand up for themselves when they need to.