Are kids responsible for stepping in to prevent bullying?
Overview
Should kids act to stop bullying, or should they leave it up to adults?
Are kids responsible for stepping in to prevent bullying?
Kendra started at a new school in the seventh grade. During her first week, a group of girls started teasing her. Then more kids joined in. Now she gets called names every day. People push her in the hallways. They steal her backpack. They throw it in the trash. Kendra wants help. She is ashamed to tell her parents or her teachers. She feels like everything is her fault.
Bullying is a problem in schools today. Boys and girls can be bullies or victims. Punching, teasing, and spreading untrue stories all constitute bullying. About half of all kids say they have been bullied at school. Many kids who are bullied feel bad about themselves. Some try to avoid school. Some even think about killing themselves.
It is important for schools to make sure everyone is treated the same. No one should be treated like they are less than anyone else. Many people believe that schools should pass rules to legislate an end to bullying.
However, all schools have rules against bullying. These laws generally do not resolve the problem. Maybe peer intervention constitutes the only resolution to bullying. Should kids step up when they see bullying incidents? Some researchers say that the people who look on and do nothing are as to blame as the bullies.
Many bystanders are afraid to step in. They fear they will be bullied. Also, many kids just don’t know what to do. They say it is easier to walk away. Instead of amending the rules about bullying, maybe schools should teach kids what to do when they see a bullying event.
Is it fair to blame people for not stepping in to resolve the bullying event? Should kids put themselves in danger to keep their classmates safe?
Credits:
Text credit: Word Generation by SERP and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons, By Michel Rathwell from Cornwall, Canada - Intimidation Sculpture, CC BY 2.0.