As little as 15 minutes of discussion per day can establish lines of communication that help kids seek advice when confronted with bullying. Parents and other caregivers play an important role in bullying prevention, through conversation and active participation in their child or teen’s social interactions.

While communication is a first line of defense, caregivers can further discourage bullying by modeling positive relationship skills and avoiding the use of derogatory terms. Increasing young people’s awareness of bullying helps them recognize when it occurs and avoid contributing to it. Caregivers should also learn to anticipate potential bullying among children and understand how to address it.

Bullying is not just a normal part of growing up, and only a parent or another person with power can intercede; children and teens lack the leverage to make a significant change in the dynamics of their interactions with a bully.

On the March 8, 2017 edition of Wisconsin Public Radio’s Central Time, host Veronica Rueckert interviewed Anne Clarkson, digital parenting education specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Extension Family Living Programs, about bullying and how parents can play a role in addressing it.