Aggressive females on TV ‘inspire physical violence in schoolgirls’
Traditionally, female bullies were more inclined to psychologically intimidate classmates.
But the head of Trinity College Dublin’s Anti-Bullying Centre (ABC) said the trend was changing.
“We have found recently that girls are engaging more in physical attacks, such as kicking, punching or tripping,” said Professor Mona O’Moore.
“It’s becoming more common. We’re living in a more competitive society and we see girls and women engaging in aggression in TV ads, maybe knocking each other over to get to a box of chocolates,” she said.
Prof O’Moore believes that the impact advertising has on modelling behaviour should be studied more closely. She added that celebrities increasingly use more physical behaviour.
“We also see girls acting in a more aggressive manner in films,” she said.
The increase in girls suffering from physical bullying at school was one of the few headline statistics from recent research which differs significantly to similar findings a decade ago.
The ABC is finalising the results of a survey of children at 168 schools. But Prof O’Moore said, in general, little had changed since the last study, when one-in-seven primary pupils said they were bullied “more than occasionally”, some of them at least once a week, and more than one-quarter of those surveyed admitted to bullying others.
Just 5% of second-level students said that they were more than occasionally bullied but researchers believe the figure may be higher, as almost one-in-10 said they were victimised in the week prior to the survey being conducted.
Prof O’Moore said the under-reporting of the problem was more common among females, but people of all ages sometimes do not admit being bullied as a defence mechanism.
She was speaking as Education Minister Mary Hanafin launched the Silent Witness DVD, made by the ABC and Animo Communications for second-level schools, which aims to help teachers discuss bullying and ensure students see the impact. More than one-third of teenagers surveyed had seen a student of their age being bullied and felt they should try to do something but failed to.
Ms Hanafin said young people should learn how to recognise bullying behaviour and know that they should never tolerate it.
“At school level, a policy on bullying can only work if the children, teachers, the principal, parents and board of management all sign up and adhere to it,” she said.
Revised guidelines for bullying and behaviour policies are expected to be issued to schools shortly from the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB).
