Bullying prevention programs may backfire, warns a University of Texas Arlington study. School anti-bullying programs often teach kids “about the ins and outs of bullying,” reports Rebecca Klein in the Huffington Post.
“This study raises an alarm,” Seokjin Jeong, the study’s lead author, told CBS Dallas. He recommends moving prevention efforts “beyond individual risk factors” to “focus on systemic change within the schools.”
About 21 percent of students report being bullied at school, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Bullying hits its peak in middle school.
My step-granddaughter, who’s in third grade, drew a foot to “Stomp out bullying.” I’m not persuaded this is useful, but I guess it does no harm.