Research Finds Family Meals Help Protect Kids from Cyberbullying
September 18 2014
According to researchers from McGill University in Montreal, regular family dinners can help protect kids from the negative effects of cyberbullying.
The study of nearly 19,000 students aged 12 to 18, published earlier this month in JAMA Pediatrics, revealed that about one-fifth reported being bullied on the Internet or by text messaging in the previous year. As the number of family dinners increased during the week (Monday through Sunday), the mental health and behavioral impacts of cyberbullying, which include anxiety, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, fighting and substance abuse, diminished greatly.
The findings suggested regular family dinners – at least four times a week – provided kids the opportunity to open up about cyberbullying and the parents a venue to offer coping strategies to offset its harmful effects, and possibly even prevent bullying before it starts.
Make meal time family time.
