African-born NJ children being bullied because of Ebola

As fears and concerns about the deadly Ebola virus continue to grow, some American schoolchildren in New Jersey and across the country are bullying and shunning classmates from African countries who live in their communities.

Dr. Steven Tobias, child psychologist and director of the Center for Child and Family Development in Morristown, isn't really surprised by this.

"It's not uncommon for kids to overgeneralize situations, especially when there's a lot of emotion attached to it," he said. "Youngsters will get anxious and project their fears onto anything that resembles what they're afraid of, so unfortunately these kinds of prejudices will occur."

Tobias said it's very important for parents to talk to their children about Ebola, but first they must become educated themselves.

"It's hard to reassure a kid, to guide a kid, when you yourself don't have all of the accurate information," he said.

When parents do have that discussion about the disease, Tobias suggested letting kids know they're safe, and that they're not going to contract Ebola in school.

"It's important for kids to hear that parents, the teachers, everyone is going to keep them safe," he said. "We need to help kids understand that they are safe, that they're not going to get the disease from their classmates, or on a plane, riding on a bus or subway or anywhere else."

He also said it's important to discuss how those being singled out, bullied or shunned might feel.

"Kids should be encouraged to empathize with the children being picked on," Tobias said. "They should be encouraged to reach out to those being victimized and isolated; that will make everyone feel good."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, New Jersey has the fifth-highest population of West Africans in the nation, about 3,600. However, Tobias pointed out that children engaging in Ebola-influenced bullying are almost certainly not differentiating between West Africans and other Africans. Anyone from any country in Africa, he said, may become a target of abuse.