BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - We all know bullying can negatively affect your child's self-esteem, but it is not always easy for parents to spot it and in the digital age when that harassment can follow them home.
"One thing that can be challenging, is I think sometimes bullying is a term that gets overused a lot," said Margaret Canter, a clinical psychologist & assistant professor in pediatrics at UAB.
Everyone has a bad day here and there, even in the classroom.
The UAB psychologist said that it does not excuse a child's unkind comments, but to combat bullying, parents and teachers must know how to recognize it.
"Bullying is that like repeated, like repeated not nice things that are occurring and there's usually some sort of power differential that goes along with bullying," Canter shared.
That could mean a senior picking on a freshman, or a team captain harassing a new player, and with so many children nowadays just an arms-length away from their phone at any given moment, that bullying doesn't always end when the school bell rings.
"As a parent, your role is to monitor any kind of social media or any technology that your child has," Canter said. "Letting them know like 'I will be monitoring that,' and that child can also let others know like 'My mom monitors my social media.' I think that in general can kind of cut down on a lot."
Canter shared that now is a good time to remind your child they can come to you if anyone ever makes them feel uncomfortable at school or online.
She said therapy can be helpful for children struggling with self-esteem after being bullied, but she added a more preventative approach is to build self-confidence through finding areas they succeed at.
"Something they're good at that makes them feel good about themselves can go such a long way, so helping your child find their thing," she said.
Of course, this looks different for everyone. Canter said that could be theater, art, sports, or student government.
She said succeeding in extracurriculars can build confidence and reduce the impact of bullying.