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Dale Doucette-Carl is a mental health and human services student at the University of Maine at Augusta and works in community-based mental health services. She is interested in prevention, education, and strengthening supports for young people and families.
One in three should get our attention. Nearly one-third of young adolescents worldwide have experienced bullying, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2023, 19% of high school students were bullied on school property during the previous 12 months.
As another school year approaches, these numbers should prompt all of us to ask whether we are doing enough to prevent bullying. Prevention cannot rest on schools alone. Families, schools, helping professionals, and communities all have a responsibility to recognize harmful behavior early, strengthen supportive relationships, and teach young people healthier ways to respond.
Too often, bullying escalates or causes harm before adults become aware of it. Many incidents go unnoticed by adults, particularly when bullying occurs through social media, texts, or other electronic communication outside of the school day. This makes it even more important to recognize changes in behavior, relationships, school performance, or emotional well-being.
Prevention means recognizing the signs sooner, rather than assuming someone will report what is happening. When bullying occurs, there is more than one child who needs our help.
Accountability matters; it is possible for accountability and understanding to exist together. We need to ask what led to the behavior and make it clear that bullying is unacceptable. Consequences may be necessary, but consequences alone do not create change.
Prevention practices must begin before bullying occurs. Developing healthy relationships, demonstrating respect and compassion, and teaching positive ways to manage conflict can create an environment where young people feel safe, supported, and included. Families can model these behaviors at home. Schools can reinforce them through education, prevention programs, and a culture of connection and belonging.
Communities and helping professionals can provide guidance, education, and safe places for young people and families to seek support. Prevention is not the responsibility of one person, program, or system; it depends on what we collectively teach, demonstrate, and reinforce for young people.
Even with strong prevention practices, bullying will still occur. When it does, intervention becomes everyone’s responsibility. Adults need to listen, respond promptly, and make sure the young person being bullied feels safe and supported. Peers and bystanders also have an important role to play. Young people can be taught how to safely speak up, seek help, and support someone who is being bullied. They’re more likely to step forward when they know how to respond safely and where to turn for help. Families, schools, and helping professionals can work together to understand what led to the behavior and determine what support is needed. Effective intervention should not simply stop one incident; it should help prevent the next one.
Schools are often expected to carry much of the responsibility for preventing bullying, and many already have policies, prevention programs, and consequences in place. Educators and school staff are also managing many competing responsibilities while trying to recognize behavior that may happen outside their view. Policies are important, but policies alone cannot prevent bullying. The responsibility extends beyond the classroom. Adults throughout a young person’s life, along with schools and communities, need greater awareness of bullying, access to prevention resources, and an understanding of their impact and responsibility to play an active role in prevention.
As another school year begins, bullying prevention deserves more than our attention after a child has already been harmed. It requires awareness, education, communication, and a willingness to act before problems escalate. Every young person deserves to feel safe, supported, and valued, and everyone has a responsibility to help create that environment.
We may not be able to prevent every act of bullying, but we can be better prepared to recognize it, respond to it, and prevent it from continuing. Bullying is not simply a school problem or a family problem. It is a community responsibility, and prevention begins with all of us.