Most Bullying Still Occurs In Traditional Ways

Susan M. Swearer, an associate professor of school psychology at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post (12/31), "From schoolyards to workplaces and now to cyberspace as well, it seems that bullies are everywhere. New efforts to stop them and to help victims cope - such as the 'It Gets Better' campaign - are gaining attention and popularity, but are they the best ways to protect kids and others from the worst forms of bullying?" According to Swearer, "As tragic as" a number of recent high-profile cases of electronic bullying are, these "cases should not distract from more traditional - and more prevalent - forms of bullying. ... While it's hard to stereotype bullying behavior in every school in every town in America, experts agree that at least 25 percent of students across the nation are bullied in traditional ways: hit, shoved, kicked, gossiped about, intimidated or excluded from social groups."