Experts urge early intervention as understanding of bullying’s harmful patterns deepens

With a new school term about to start, psychologists highlight the importance of recognising and responding to bullying as a repeated and power-imbalance behaviour, emphasising early prevention and support strategies for children’s mental health.

With the new school term approaching, parents are often reminded that bullying is not simply a rite of passage. In a recorded session highlighted by the lead article, clinical psychologist Jacqueline Sperling urged families to treat it as a serious pattern of behaviour rather than as harmless rough-and-tumble. That distinction matters, because experts say bullying is defined by repeated harm, an imbalance of power and an intent to hurt, whether the behaviour takes place face to face, in a group chat or through social media.

Those markers help separate bullying from ordinary conflict. PACER Center says disagreement is a normal part of childhood, and Michigan State University Extension notes that peer conflict usually involves children with relatively equal power who are both engaged in the dispute. Bullying is different: one child is targeted in a way that makes it difficult to defend themselves. ChildcareEd makes the same distinction, describing bullying as deliberate, repeated and unequal. That matters for parents trying to decide when to step in and when to coach children through a normal argument.

The impact can spread well beyond the immediate target. StopBullying.gov says bullying can have short- and long-term psychological, physical and academic consequences for children who are bullied, for those who bully others and for bystanders who witness it. The lead article also notes that bullying behaviour may reflect stress, weak emotional regulation or difficulties with empathy in the child doing the harming. In other words, responding well means looking at both the child being hurt and the child causing harm.

Signs are not always obvious. Younger children may show changes in sleep, appetite or mood, or begin complaining of stomachaches. Teenagers may pull back from friends, spend more time alone or become highly protective of their devices. Cyberbullying can intensify the problem because the abuse does not stop at the school gate; messages and posts can follow children home and make it harder for them to feel safe.

Experts say the first response should be to listen and validate. A calm, supportive reaction can make it more likely that a child will keep talking. Families can also practise responses at home through role-play, document repeated incidents and work with school staff if the problem continues or affects mental health. If a child is the one bullying others, the lead article says clear limits, steady consequences and direct conversations about empathy are essential. Prevention, it adds, starts early, with consistent family values, fair handling of sibling disputes and adults modelling the behaviour they want children to copy.