Nastiness on the Playground Online & Offline

Bullying online and offline is moving down into the primary levels of schools today. Sure, educators have long known that some of those adorable little kids aren’t always as nice to others as they should be. Because of increasing numbers of complaints by children and their parents, one wonders if there is more bullying because of what kids are exposed to in videos and on television, or if it is that parents and children are so bombarded by media news about bullying that actions which used to be considered part of growing up and learning to deal with “less than pleasant” kids, have now been elevated in people’s minds to harassment? Pamela Paul, in her New York Times article, The Playground Gets Even Tougher, says “It could just be heightened awareness among hyper-parents, ever attuned to their children’s most minuscule slight. It could be a side effect of early-onset puberty, with hormones raging in otherwise immature 8-year-olds.” Educators often hear of incidents in which a child calls another “dumb” in a text message, the receiver may reply in a similar vein and then it’s all over. Although some may consider this bullying, bullying usually arises when these unkind behaviors continue and escalate to more intense levels. If they don’t, it’s probably not bullying. Because mean words and exclusion from groups can lead to serious bullying, teachers and parents should be aware of signs that children may find pleasure in being nasty to others they don’t want in their groups. This is the time to step in and let children know that their behavior is not acceptable. Parents also need to be careful about what their children are picking up from media shows such as inappropriate language, making fun of others, cruel humor, and aggressive behaviors. As Paul says, ”The mean girls are 8 but want to be 14, and their parents play along. They want to be top dog.”  So what can we in the schools do to help parents with these problems?