It takes a village: Combatting bullying’s effects
On Teen Mental Health Day, Professor Dan Flannery explains why bullying should be treated as a public health issue—and how schools can create lasting change.
Walk down any bustling middle school hallway, and one in five teenagers you pass will tell you they’ve been bullied. Nearly three in every five will say they’ve been cyberbullied.
The consequences of bullying—chronic anxiety, depression, social isolation, low self-esteem and even suicidal ideation—can last long into adulthood for some.
Commonly thought of as a “rite of passage” for young people, bullying, and what we know about it, has
changed significantly over the years. It's a topic that Dan Flannery, PhD, Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, has been invited to present on a lot in the last few years—by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Ohio School Safety Center and the Ohio Association of School Social Workers to name a few.
In recognition of Teen Mental Health Day (March 2), The Daily talked with Flannery, who is also the director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education, to learn about the latest research on the effects of bullying on teens. Read on to see what he had to say.
You frame bullying as a preventable public health problem rather than a “rite of passage.” Why is that distinction so important when we think about teen mental health?
In the past, we just didn't know enough about bullying—didn't have the information, didn't have the data. We know more now. [Bullying] may be common. [It] may be a collective experience, but that doesn't mean it's no big deal and it's OK to ignore it. We also now have accumulating evidence of the things that tend to work to prevent it.
With cyberbullying affecting up to 59% of teens, how has social media changed the mental health impact of bullying compared to previous generations?
Bullying has been around for quite a while. What's different is the role of social media, and kids’ exposure—the intensity, the duration, the immediacy and overwhelming nature of everything, everywhere.
If we're just asking about in-person bullying, and we don't now take into account what's going on online, we’re not getting the whole picture. COVID forced us to say, “Well, wait a minute, not everything is going on in the building, and even if they're in the building, things are going on way more outside of the building that kids bring into the building.”
We're past the days of kids using desktops in the library—we don’t always know what they're doing, nor do we always have the ability to control it.
You caution against zero-tolerance policies and one-day awareness events. What does the research show actually works when it comes to creating lasting change in school climate?
It's the things early on: Focus on a positive school climate and kids' attachment to school. Create a supportive environment where if things are going on, they're reported and paid attention to—not ignored and dismissed.
It takes everyone: adult caregivers, mentors, coaches, teachers, the lunch staff, janitor, the school resource officer, social workers. If you really want to address this, It's not a quick program in school assemblies or in social studies for an hour a week for 10 weeks. It's the entire environment.
What is one actionable step that families or teens can take right now to reduce bullying and better support mental health?
Adult caregivers can check out StopBullying.gov, talk to their pediatricians or check out school policies related to bullying. Become an advocate for your school to pay attention to this.
I do still think it's important [for teens] to see something, say something and be supportive of each other. Then for the adults to take that seriously.
