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.