Retaliating to bullies is not going to solve anything says leading youth organisation, Youthline.

This comes after a the Australian video showing a young person fighting back against his bullies went viral, prompting some to suggest ‘getting your own back’ is the most effective way to handle a bully.

“ The advice to ‘fight back’ may be given with the best intentions, but this approach is likely to only make matters worse and it often leads to a greater level of helplessness felt by the victim” says Youthline spokesperson, Stephen Bell.

“The challenge of bullying is firstly an adult problem and we need to create communities where it is ok to reach out for support and where we are role modeling effectively to our young people. From parliament and schools through to the sports field it is the adults that must first make a stance and be clear about the emotional environment we want to live in.

“The best advice we can give to parents if their child is being bullied is to help them develop a network of support by going with them to talk to a teacher or counsellor and in extreme cases, the police.”

It is also helpful to contact the parents of those youth inflicting the bullying “not to play the blame game, just to acknowledge what is going on and get them to help intervene”, says Mr Bell.

The recent spate of high profile bullying cases has brought to the forefront how serious this problem is in our schools.

“Bullying is so detrimental to our young people and schools need to step up, take some responsibility and review their processes around bullying.”

If you are being bullied we would encourage you to get hold of Youthline via any of the following:
Helpline 0800 37 66 33

Free txt 234
Email: talk@youthline.co.nz

ENDS

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