August 2026 - Glycerine Queen Media

There’s a new push to combat bullying. With a twist.

According to sheknows, police in Shawano, Wisconsin, started fining parents of bullies back in 2016.

In June this year, the ABC reported that Malaysia introduced a law where parents of bullies could be fined or sued.

A tribunal of fifty experts were set up to deal with each case individually. Peopke both welcomed and raised concerns about tbe bill. Member of Parent Action for Education, Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said:

We welcome the Act because it places children’s well-being at the centre and recognises that bullying has serious emotional, psychological and educational consequences.

(“New anti- bullying reform in Malaysia could make parents liable for their children’s behaviour’, AFP, 19 June 2026)

Should parents be fined? Mother of victim speaks out

CW: This part of the post memtions suicide. Please proceed with caution if it affects you.

In July, a mother opened up to news,com.au about losing her 13 – year – old son.

Clare McCann lost her son, Atreyu to suicide. He’d been a victim of relentless bullying. Her son’s death pushed McCann to campaign against bullying.

Despite her grief, and in the wake of Malaysia’s Anti – Bullying Act 2026, McCann is wary about penalising families. She pointed out that many bullies are themselves, traumatised. If intervention is done incorrectly, McCann worries it may harm the children even more.

That is why I worry that charging their [the bully’s parents], without proper child – safety intervention, could place some of those children at even greater risk behind closed doors.

(“Mother of bullied teen says punishing parents won’t stop suicides”, Cydonee Mardon, news.com.au, 20 July 2026).

McCann applauded Malaysia for having such a swift nationwide approach to dealing with bullying. Unfortunately, Australia, who’s wealthier, is not going to do the same. If anything happens, it’d occur State by State/ Territory.

In July, McCann started a petition to call the Government to put an end to school bullying.

What is the answer

Bullying is a massive problem for young people. It has been for years. The presence of social media has made bullying even harder for children to escape.

Can anything be done?

Education resources website Twinkl has these tips:

Schools should adopt a way to report bullying that makes children feel safe and confident when opening up about bullying. A way to do this is allow a sstem where students can report incidents anonymously
Teachers could get students to act out roleplays of realistic situations to foster empathy
Create a ‘Kindness Week’ where students are encouraged to do acts of kindness, such as writing someone a compliment and creating inclusive games at recess.
Organise a peer mediation session where students are selected to step in to prevent conflicts from escalating.
Teach students responsible online behaviour. Students should learn how to respond appropriately to harmful messages
Conduct a ‘Restorative Justice Circle’. Bring the person affected by harmful behaviour and the instigator. The students, along with a trained mediator should discuss the behaviour, its impact and create steps to repair the relationship. Follow up to see if the students have done the agreed steps
Other suggestions include:
- designate a bench to become a “vuddy bench”. Here, students can sit and seek friendship and support
- Create a ‘Gratitude Wall’ where students can post positive notes ablut classmates
- Create a class charter where students make an agreement on class values. Get all students to sign.

Society has a way to go in combatting bullying. Frankly, I can see where the call for a punitive justice comes from. But I’m also realising that to truly combat bullying, the perpetrator needs just as much help as the victim. However, I still think that schools should be held legally accountable, at least. Bullying should never be tolerated.

What do you think could resolve school bullying? Feel free to put your thoughts in the comments below.

According to The Australian, Autism researcher has labelled current diagnosis “meaningless”.

German developmental psychologist, Uta Frith claimed that too many people were being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

An essay published in Cambridge University Press, which Frith took part in, raised questions in the dramatic jump in diagnoses since its inception in the 1940’s.

Frith and other researchers argued:

Marked differences now exist between those first disgnosed in childhood and others first diagnosed in adolescence or adulthood. The time has come to examine reasons for these conceptual changes and the consequences for clinical practice and research.

(“Autism Spectrum Disorder: has it lost its meaning and is it leading to misdiagnosis”, Published: Cambridge University Press, 4 August 2026).

The essay concluded that there are “marked differences” between those diagnosed in early childhood versus adolscence and adulthood.

Social models and misdiagnoses

In recent years, the term ‘neurodiversity’ has been used to destigmatise autism. The change in language saw a shift in how people saw ASD — not as a disability, but a natural variation. This view focuses on strengths of nerodivergent individuals, rather than their struggles. This way of thinking, researchers argue, benefits those diagnosed as adults, rather than children.

The report authors argue this to try to promote inclusion and “harm avoidance”. As a result, the disgnosis threshold has been lowered, and more people “identifying” with an autism label.

Sex differences

Interestingly. the study showed that AMAB (assigned male at birth) people were more likely diagnosed in early childhoo, whereas people assigned female arpt birth (AFAB) were often diagnosed in adolescence or adulthood.

I have been told that this happens for two main reasons. Social conventions teach females to mask autistic traits, more than males. Secondly, ASD is often mistaken for anxiety, a mood disorder, or even borderline personality disorder (BPD). This would add to the fewer or later diagnoses in females.

Let’s talk about masking for a bit.

AFAB (assigned female at birth) people are taught to mask from an early age. This is not often a neutral or good thing.

According to Simply Psychology, masking can:

Cause or exacerbate stress, anxiety and depression
Cause a loss of identity
Cause low self – esteem and feelings of shame
Increase isolation
Increase the risk of exploitation and people violating personal boundaries
Increased risk of abuse and manipulation in relationships
A delay in diagnosis and ongoing struggle that comes with it
Mental and physical exhaustion

People with ASD, regardless of sex or gender identity, deserve to live without the stress masking brings and get their needs met.

How can someone stop or reduce masking

To limit or avoid masking, Simply Psychology advises:

Identify and reflect on your own masking behaviours
Find a supportive and accepting network. If possible, a family member may be a good start
Set small goals and slowly exhibit your natural behaviours (interests, stims, etc)
Look back at a time when you stimmed in front of another person. How did they react? Did they even notice?

Diagnosis, regardless of age is not the problem

Is ASD overdiagnosed? Misdiagnosed? Here are my (non – professional) thoughts.

My understandijg is that neurodivergence is often missed in AFAB people. This is because a lot of the research is outdated, and centres around AMAB (assigned male at birth) people.

I’m always a little weary of people claining that a diagnosis is wrong , overdiagnosed or doesn’t (or shouldn’t) exist (i,e, histrionic personality disorder/ HPD).

People’s struggles are real and should be taken seriously, rather than denied, Everyone deserves appropriate mental health care, and live in a world where they feel understood. If that means someone fits the criteria for ASD, then so be it. I don’t think it’s up to others to judge.