Why do Kids Bully?
Although there really is no telling what goes on in the minds of children who bully, the following observations have been made:
- Students model what they see at home, in the media, in movies, on television, and in video games. If adults are fighting at home, children are more likely to bully at school. The media, movies, television, and video games are all becoming increasingly more violent. In fact, there is an actual video game out called "Bully". Check it out for yourself by clicking here. And to think we dare to wonder where kids get the idea that bullying is okay?
- Students who don't get warmth, supervision, and attention at home are more likely to bully.
- Abused children are more likely to become bullies than their non-abused peers.
- Having a depressed mother or an absent father increases a students's likeliness to bully.
- The school climate, poor intervention tactics, and lack of supervision at school can increase the prevalence of bullying.
- Students consider it much harder to get caught cyber bullying than it is to get caught "regular" bullying.
- Students can't see who they are attacking when they cyber bully so they have no "rational" idea of what it is doing to the victim. This makes it easier for them to continue with the bullying.
- Some students cyber bully for entertainment. They simply have too much time on their hands and too much technology available to them.
- Some students cyber bully to get a reaction or because they think it's funny.
- Some students cyber bully to remind others of their high social status.
- Some students cyber bully out of anger or to get revenge.