Editorial: Bay bullying still alive

Childhood bullying is a scourge in our community - and schools have been a breeding ground for years.

Most readers will recall their days in the schoolyard when kids would pick on people they perceived as weak.

I can vividly remember bullies shoving their victims around or subjecting them to other forms of playground intimidation, such as name calling and ostracising, when I was at school.

I recall high school being much worse than primary school. That was back in the 1980s and, now that I am an adult, I know the bullies are the weak ones.

The bad news is bullying is alive and kicking today and could be coming to a computer near you.

Bullying is never far from the spotlight with several cases making headlines recently - including yesterday's front-page story about cyber bullying.

The story is that websites are being set up to terrorise teenagers and going unchecked and unregulated in the Bay.

The Facebook pages - sporting names such as Tauranga Goss, Otumoetai Dirtay Confessions and Tauranga Dirt - are anonymous sites where local teens post hateful messages about classmates without being identified.

This means the bullying can essentially be 24/7.

One mother whose daughter was targeted has spoken out and believes her child's school should do more to address the problem - including disciplining the students responsible.

I thought the school principals we spoke to for this story - Dave Randell of Otumoetai College, Robert Mangan of Tauranga Boys' College, Tauranga Girls' College principal Pauline Cowens and outgoing Mount Maunganui College head Terry Collett - responded thoughtfully.

The truth is there is not much they or other principals can do.

These posts are made outside school grounds and hours and, therefore, it is the parents who are responsible and accountable - not schools.

Parents of teens have a duty to ensure they know what their children are up to on the computer.

But other forms of bullying that do take place at school are the responsibility of principals and teachers and also must not be tolerated.

Given the problem is not going away, the question is: are schools being tough enough when dealing with bullies? It is important they come down so hard on perpetrators that these kids never want to hurt anyone else again.

Parents also need to dish out appropriate deterrents if their child is caught doing the bullying and act as good role models.

It has been suggested recently that victims strike back physically, but this is not the answer.

Bullying is not okay but I don't think we'll ever get rid of it. However if, as a community and society, we make bullying more unacceptable then perhaps we might better address the problem.

Children need to be taught how to handle bullying and what they can do about it. As for cyber bullying, there is one easy solution - turn off the computer.