Mean Girls was a movie, then a Broadway show, and now a new and updated movie. What they all have in common is they are centered on teen relationships and social dynamics – particularly relational aggression.

As many of our teens experience competitive behavior and bullying in school and online, especially with today’s rising antisemitism, what role do parents have to play in helping their teens navigate toxic friendships? How can we give them the skills to foster healthy relationships and lasting friendships in middle school, high school, and beyond?

Moving Traditions’ Rabbi Daniel Brenner discussed these issues and more with Rabbi Tamara Cohen, Felicia Shechtman, a Tzelem group leader, and Dr. Tracy Evian Waasdorp, a leading developmental psychologist and researcher specializing in relational aggression. As the Director of Research in School-Based Bullying Prevention and Social Emotional Learning in the Center for Violence Prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, Tracy shared expert insights and resources.