(PHILADELPHIA - Oct. 31, 2011)-Channel One News recently aired a segment titled "Bullies Tell Their Story," featuring Dr. Chuck Williams, Director of Goodwin"s Center for the Prevention of School-Aged Violence. In the video, Dr. Williams discusses the causes of bullying, and what typically leads boys and girls to bully peers.
Dr. Williams also touched on cyberbullying, fueled by social networking sites. He says that these sites are one of the vehicles for girls to bully their peers. He says girls tend to avoid face-to-face conflict, opting instead to talk about their target to classmates.
Dr. Williams offered a word of advice to victims on how to stop being the target of a bully. "The easiest thing that a victim can do is to stand up for him or herself," Dr. Williams says in the video.
And he has a word for bullies, too, urging them to talk to someone - "an older adult that they trust," perhaps -- about what they're doing. Getting to the root of the cause can help bullies change their behavior. Dr. Williams also referenced the Golden Rule: "Treat others the way you'd like to be treated."