Bullying Ruins Lives – Innovative New Program Aims To Change That (VIDEO)

Bullying – that nasty part of going to school that we all had to deal with. It seems to be getting worse with the popularity of social media, even causing many young people to think about and actually commit suicide. We have to do something to get it to stop.

The town of Shawano in Wisconsin is taking a different approach by charging fines to parents whose kids are bullies. The Shawano school district is going to charge what could end up being hundreds of dollars to these parents. They have included online bullying as well as physical bullying.

They will give the parents a warning for the first incident, then if the child does it again, they will get a $366 fine. After the second incident, the fine will increase to $681.

The Shawano police chief Mark Kohl says:

“This isn’t generated towards the kids being kids, some playground banter. This is the person that is meticulously using social media or saying things that are vulgar in an attempt to hurt.”

Studies have shown that children who bully other children in middle school may end up harassing other children in high school and beyond. We have to find a way to stop this bad behavior.

Many children and young adults have committed suicide due to bullying.

Effects Of Bullying

Bullying as a child can have lasting effects well into adulthood. People bullied as children are more likely to develop depression or anxiety or both. It can also affect their physical health, behavior, school performance, and more.

Kids who do the bullying are more likely to develop depression and anxiety. They are also more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol. While in school, they may have behavioral problems and poor school performance and are often likely to get into crime and/or abuse spouses or partners.

Bullying ruins lives. This law could be a great step forward in fighting bullying and abuse.

Featured image via YouTube screenshot.

Hi, I'm from Huntsville, AL. I'm a Liberal living in the Bible Belt, which can be quite challenging at times. I'm passionate about many issues including mental health, women's rights, gay rights, and many others. Check out my blog weneedtotalkaboutmentalhealth.com