SEEKING SOLUTIONS Many schools have turned to bullying prevention programs and policies as a solution; however, they aren’t usually that effective, Knack suggests. Adults
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may look at these initiatives as a positive step, but Knack says that depends on the specific programs and how they’re implemented. “I always worry about this one week we care about this issue,” she says, in reference to annual bullying awareness events nationwide. “Kids can see right through that.” Schiff, whose school hosts a Kindness Week — “I think it’s a box-checking exercise” — says resources would be better spent by hiring more counselors or social workers who can make connections with students so those students have someone at school they can trust. Some other programs can teach kids how to interact without aggression or hostility by giving them tools to help build positive social behaviors. Programs that look at what the school or community values show youth what to do and how to support each other rather than only telling them what not to do. Yet, Knack warns, the bully-bullied dynamic is often not clearly defined. Regardless of whether schools have these types of tools and programs at their disposal, the bullying dynamic depends on where kids fall within the social hierarchy of the school.
49% of children
in grades 4 to12 reported being bullied at least once a month.
31% of children
reported being the ones who bullied. SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
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ability to always be connected, kids are continually targeted on social networks sites. Cyberbullying also allows students to pick on multiple children at once without leaving their couches, adds Eric Schiff, a guidance counselor at Brookline High School in Brookline, Mass. “There’s the anonymity of some of the online stuff, too.” Whether or not parents are aware of how prevalent bullying is, it seems that students are — 90 percent of teens believe that online harassment is a problem affecting their generation and 63 percent say it’s a major one, according to the Pew survey. For most, it can become an endless cycle of re-reading and feeling upset about the hurtful comments posted and re-shared. While 57 percent of parents also expressed concern, Knack cautions that simply cutting a teen off from social media isn’t the answer because positive support can also come from the same places.