Meta
© 2025 Meta
United States

Meta
FacebookThreadsInstagramXYouTubeLinkedIn
Other Sites
Transparency CenterMeta Safety CenterMeta Privacy CenterAbout MetaMeta Help Center

Instagram
Instagram SupervisionInstagram Parents GuideInstagram Help CenterInstagram FeaturesInstagram Anti-Bullying

Facebook & Messenger
Facebook SupervisionFacebook Help CenterMessenger Help CenterMessenger FeaturesFacebook Privacy CenterGenerative AI

Meta Horizon and Meta Quest
Meta Horizon and Meta Quest SupervisionMeta Quest Parents GuideMeta Quest Education HubMeta Quest Safety CenterMeta HorizonMeta Quest Help CenterMetaverse & VR Safety TipsVR Parent Guide

Resources
Resources HubNewsletter Sign upMeta HC: Safety Advisory CouncilCo-design Program

Site Terms and Policies
Community StandardsPrivacy PolicyTermsCookie PolicySitemap

Other Sites
Transparency Center
Meta Safety Center
Meta Privacy Center
About Meta
Meta Help Center
Instagram
Instagram Supervision
Instagram Parents Guide
Instagram Help Center
Instagram Features
Instagram Anti-Bullying
Resources
Resources Hub
Newsletter Sign up
Meta HC: Safety Advisory Council
Co-design Program
Facebook & Messenger
Facebook Supervision
Facebook Help Center
Messenger Help Center
Messenger Features
Facebook Privacy Center
Generative AI
Meta Horizon and Meta Quest
Meta Horizon and Meta Quest Supervision
Meta Quest Parents Guide
Meta Quest Education Hub
Meta Quest Safety Center
Meta Horizon
Meta Quest Help Center
Metaverse & VR Safety Tips
VR Parent Guide
Site Terms and Policies
Community Standards
Privacy Policy
Terms
Cookie Policy
Sitemap
Other Sites
Transparency Center
Meta Safety Center
Meta Privacy Center
About Meta
Meta Help Center
Instagram
Instagram Supervision
Instagram Parents Guide
Instagram Help Center
Instagram Features
Instagram Anti-Bullying
Resources
Resources Hub
Newsletter Sign up
Meta HC: Safety Advisory Council
Co-design Program
Facebook & Messenger
Facebook Supervision
Facebook Help Center
Messenger Help Center
Messenger Features
Facebook Privacy Center
Generative AI
Meta Horizon and Meta Quest
Meta Horizon and Meta Quest Supervision
Meta Quest Parents Guide
Meta Quest Education Hub
Meta Quest Safety Center
Meta Horizon
Meta Quest Help Center
Metaverse & VR Safety Tips
VR Parent Guide
Site Terms and Policies
Community Standards
Privacy Policy
Terms
Cookie Policy
Sitemap
Other Sites
Transparency Center
Meta Safety Center
Meta Privacy Center
About Meta
Meta Help Center
Instagram
Instagram Supervision
Instagram Parents Guide
Instagram Help Center
Instagram Features
Instagram Anti-Bullying
Facebook & Messenger
Facebook Supervision
Facebook Help Center
Messenger Help Center
Messenger Features
Facebook Privacy Center
Generative AI
Meta Horizon and Meta Quest
Meta Horizon and Meta Quest Supervision
Meta Quest Parents Guide
Meta Quest Education Hub
Meta Quest Safety Center
Meta Horizon
Meta Quest Help Center
Metaverse & VR Safety Tips
VR Parent Guide
Resources
Resources Hub
Newsletter Sign up
Meta HC: Safety Advisory Council
Co-design Program
Site Terms and Policies
Community Standards
Privacy Policy
Terms
Cookie Policy
Sitemap

The importance of cultivating resilience in teens

Cyberbullying Research Center

Written by Sameer Hinduja & Justin W. Patchin

June 13, 2022

  • Facebook Icon
  • Social media platform X icon
  • Clipboard Icon
Teenager with blue hair smiling and standing with arms crossed in a brightly lit indoor space.
Resilience is “the capacity to spring back, rebound, successfully adapt in the face of adversity, and develop social and academic competence despite exposure to severe stress…or simply the stress of today’s world.”1 Young people undoubtedly will face adversity while growing up – in their schooling, in their health, and in their social lives. Unfortunately, the importance of resilience is often overlooked. Life is filled with various struggles, many of which are relational. Many parents seek to protect their children from any type of pain, speak up in place of them instead of along with them, and intervene without allowing difficult but important teachable moments. Doing this in every situation, though, may be a disservice to your teens – and may leave them unprepared for adulthood, which does not occur in a bubble where everyone will always be nice to them.
Teen illuminated by a screen’s blue light, focused, with colorful lights blurred in the background.

Research on Resilience and Cyberbullying



In our research2 we found that the more resilience a teen has, the less likely they were to be significantly impacted by cyberbullying. In addition, teens with higher levels of resilience did all of the things that parents and caregivers want students to do when confronted with mistreatment. They reported it to the school. They reported it to the site/app. They changed their screenname, blocked the aggressor, or logged out. On the other hand, those with the lowest levels of resilience were more likely to do nothing when cyberbullied.

Building Resilience by Reframing Adversity



Let’s say your teen is dealing with hurtful comments on his social media account. Perhaps by default, the teen might fall apart, and start to tell themselves that they are a “loser” who deserves to be picked on, and that bullying is their lot in life, and likely representative of the sentiment of most people towards them. Ideally, it would be better for them to think through what has happened and reconcile it in a positive fashion. They might tell himself that the person who is cyberbullying them is, for example, dealing with their own insecurities and personal problems, and can only feel better about their own life by tearing others down. They may remind himself that the aggressor’s opinion and actions do not really matter in the grand scheme of things, and to not let them “live rent free” in their head.

That is where parents and caregivers come in, and where purposeful, level-headed conversations can be really useful. When we are able to help teens identify which of their beliefs lack merit when objectively viewed, we add more tools to their toolbox of skills to deflect, disrupt, and dispute unhealthy thought patterns.3 They can then replace them with healthier, beneficial ones. This translates into positive attitudes and approaches to life, now and in the future.
A teen wearing glasses laughing in a theater seat, holding a red drink cup, with other people smiling beside them.

How Caregivers Can Promote Resilience with Movies and Books



Parents and caregivers can use movies and books to teach resilience, particularly because youth, pop culture, and media are almost inextricably entwined. We naturally connect with the structure of story and are profoundly moved by great ones we have heard, watched, or read throughout our life. Many children have been influenced by fairy tales and Greek mythology in elementary school, to coming-of-age superheroes during adolescence and young adulthood, to sports-themed and war films later in life, and each of these stories can inspire them to live out a great story in their own lives. Below are some of our favorites broken down by age level.

Movies and Shows to Teach Resilience:

Middle School
  • Facing the Giants
  • Finding Forrester
  • Greatest Showman
  • The 33
  • The Florida Project
  • The Rescue
High School
  • 127 Hours
  • Atypical
  • Creed
  • Penguin Bloom
  • Rabbit-Proof Fence
  • When They See Us

Books to Teach Resilience:

Middle School
  • El Deafo
  • Fish in a Tree
  • Sorta Like a Rock Star
  • The Boy who Harnessed the Wind
  • The Dot
  • The Hunger Games
High School
  • A Long Walk to Water
  • Fast Talk on a Slow Track
  • Hatchet
  • Of Human Bondage
  • The Rules of Survival
  • Whirligig
Parents and caregivers would do well to prioritize resilience building by helping teens reframe any online (or offline!) adversity they face in a more positive light, and by enlisting the use of media to provide relatable stories of overcomers whose attitudes, actions, and lives can be emulated. Doing so will equip them to take control of their online experiences, and better protect themselves from harm. In addition, cultivating resilience in these ways will bolster your child’s self-confidence, problem-solving ability, autonomy, and sense of purpose – all of which are critical for healthy youth development.
1 Henderson, N., & Milstein, M. M. (2003). Resiliency in schools: Making it happen for students and educators.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications (Corwin Press)
2 Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2017). Cultivating Youth Resilience to Prevent Bullying and Cyberbullying Victimization. Child Abuse & Neglect, 73, 51-62.
3 Based on Albert Ellis’s ABC (Adversity, Beliefs, and Consequences) Model. Please see Ellis, A. (1991). The revised ABC's of rational-emotive therapy (RET). Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 9(3), 139-172.

FEATURES AND TOOLS


                    Instagram Logo
Supervision Tools On Instagram

                    Instagram Logo
Mute someone

                    Instagram Logo
Control sensitive content

                    Instagram Logo
Restrict someone

RELATED RESOURCES

Smiling adult and child sitting on a couch, looking at a tablet together.
Quick Guide to Misinformation and Media Literacy
Read more
Two students studying together at a library table with open books.
Helping Young People to be Better Readers of Online Content
Read more
Smiling adult and teen sitting on a couch, looking at a laptop together.
Digital Engagement Tips for Parents
Read more
Skip to main content
Meta
Supervision
Facebook and Messenger
Instagram
Meta Horizon and Meta Quest
Resources