New app to help parents prevent bullying

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

Photo/ SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
Photo/ SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

Parents are receiving a new resource tool this school season with a smartphone app called “Knowbullying.” The free app, available for Android and iPhone, and created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in conjunction with StopBullying.gov Federal partnership, is being touted as an app to help parents and others prevent bullying.

This might interest Washington parents and educators as the state is ranked number five in the nation with the highest number of bullying incidents, according to a June 2013 report from Simplefacts.org.

As students across the nation finish their first week of school, bullying may not be a large concern until it happens. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states, “close to half of all children will experience school bullying at some point while they are at primary or secondary school.” In 2010, 71 percent of students reported bullying as an on-going problem. Grades 4 through 8 were reported as the years with the highest bullying incidents, with 90 percent of students experiencing some form of bullying.

Bullying can happen through a variety of mediums such as social media, known as cyber bullying, verbal abuse and intimidation, text messages and physical abuse. Knowing the signs of bullying can help prevent further acts of bullying that can lead to lasting physical and emotional impacts.

“KnowBullying” provides parents and educators the tools they need to engage youth in conversations about bullying. Through the app, you are provided conversation starters, tips and learning strategies to prevent bullying for ages 3-6, 7-13 years, and teens. The app also provides warning signs to recognize if your child is engaging in bullying, being bullied, or witnessing bullying, and connects you to social media within the app where you can share successful strategies and find useful advice via Facebook, Twitter, email, and text messages.

“The KnowBullying app empowers parents and caregivers by placing resources they need right in their hands to help prevent bullying,” explains Paolo del Vecchio, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services, in a press release on the apps official release. “This needs to be part of a community-wide effort to help protect our children from the unnecessary harm, and in some cases, devastating long-term consequences of bullying.”

You can download “KnowBullying” for free from the Android Play store and iTunes for iPhone. For more information about bullying or how to prevent it, please visit the website www.bullyingstatistics.org.

 

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402: bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com