A new study has revealed that lunchtime is one of the most stressful parts of a kid’s school day. Almost 7 out of ten parents polled said their children had experienced some kind of emotional trauma in the cafeteria…
‘Fat Shaming’ is one obvious thing kids face at school. ‘Poor Shaming’ is another. But it turns out there are many ways kids suffer socially and emotionally at the midday break when they should be taking a refreshing break from the ‘grind’…
I think we all remember the lunchtime social scene. That’s when the inevitable cliques got together, bolstering their egos by actively sharing their reasons for ‘ganging up’. The Jocks. The Popular Girls. The Brainiacs. The Artsy Types. But many kids never belonged to any of the strongy self-identified groups. And always felt left out.
‘Table shunning’
Remember table shunning? That’s the name I gave the widespread practice of excluding people who weren’t associated with your particular social circle from ‘your’ table at lunch.
It was also used to ‘put newcomers in their place’ – whose affiliations weren’t yet confirmed. It was a powerful weapon socially or otherwise entitled kids used to put other kids down. Yes, that’s ‘passive bullying’.
“Peer relationships and isolation are some of the top issues young people are reaching [out] to Kids Help Phone (KHP) about,” says Jenny Yuen, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships for Kids Help Phone (KHP).
“More so, KPH data shows that one in three young people who reach out to our service via text feel distressed at the thought of going back to school.”
The survey findings
The Fuse Insights survey was commissioned by Lactalis, Canada, maker of Cheestrings, a wildly popular lunch box inclusion. Naturally, the company has a serious stake in has always taken an interest in the ‘school lunch experience’.
Among the survey’s key findings:
- Nearly half (46 per cent) of children are feeling less happy about the return to school
- 77 per cent of those say the unhappiness is linked to how they get along with classmates and friends.
- Lunchtime was mentioned as the most challenging time of day by nearly half (49 per cent) of children who indicated they are unhappy at school.
- Interestingly, 37 per cent said their child often starts conversations with kids who look lonely – by offering to share snacks.
New awareness campaign
“Back to school can be a difficult time for children, especially during lunchtime,” Elyse Horrigan, Cheestrings Brand Manager, says. “With the research showing that snacks can be a good icebreaker, Cheestrings is pleased to partner with Kids Help Phone on the No Lonely Lunches (NLL)campaign that encourages conversation over a Cheestrings snack.”
The brand is also donating $100,000 to KHP to underwrite its ongoing efforts to support kids in distress.
‘Tell me about it’
Simply getting people to talk about their problems is a widely accepted way to open a path to solutions. So Lactalis and KHP have come up with a campaign theme that pivots on kids sharing Cheestrings as a means of starting conversations. The manufacturer has temporarily replaced its well-known logo on Cheestrings packets with the KHP logo and message.
If you want to take an active part in supporting the NLL campaign, or just want to find out more, you’ll find full details at: visit cheestrings.ca/en/giving-back/.
My take
Lunch was always a stressful time for me. Especially when I first entered high school. I was bookworm and, a non-athlete and a non-party person. I also recognised, instinctively, the dark side of cliques and shunned them.
But I finally solved my loneliness problem by joining a couple of ‘groups’ that fit my intersts and were populated by other ‘outsiders’: The Science Club and the AV club. It turned out that lying out in a field away from the city lights, sharing multiple sleeping bags, ‘observing’ the annual Perseids summer meteor shower, can have a romantic side…
Harder for girls
I also want to point out that girls can be (and usually are) far more nasty than boys in their shunning and related ‘passive bullying’ activities. I was not only a ‘failed Brainiac’ (couldn’t do the math), but a chubby teen with unruly (naturally curly) hair. In other words, I had a bull’s eye painted on me. I’d have liked to see some figures on the percentages of girls who suffer lonely lunches versus the numbers of boys.
Still seeking validation, after all thee years?
~ Maggie J.