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What if bullying was treated like a public health issue?

 I read an article from The Guardian that really made me think differently about bullying. The title was: “What if bullying was treated like a public health issue?” and the main idea was that bullying should not only be seen as an individual or school problem, but as a bigger issue that affects society, kind of like a disease that spreads.

The article explains that bullying causes mental health problems in both victims and bullies, and even in people who just witness it. It also says that bullying can affect physical health, academic results, and even future job opportunities. So the author suggests we should think about it like we think about smoking or obesity – not just punish, but prevent it with serious public policies and investments.

Personally, I found this point of view very interesting. Sometimes I feel like schools just try to stop bullying with rules or punishments, but they don’t go deeper. I liked the idea of treating it more seriously, like something that needs prevention and early intervention. In psychology, we always talk about prevention, but I think in real life this is not applied enough in schools.

It also reminded me of the concept of ecological systems theory by Bronfenbrenner. Bullying doesn’t happen in isolation, it’s influenced by families, school culture, media, etc. So treating it as a public health issue makes sense to me.

Chakelian, A. (2023, August 7). What if bullying was treated like a public health issue? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/07/school-bullying-public-health-approach


Lluc Subiràs



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