To help stop bullying, parents must do more to limit children’s time on social media

The TikTok app logo. Parents need to do more to curb their children’s use of social media, which can make bullying worse, a school administrator writes. (Kiichiro Sato/AP)

Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed HB 3425, a new law that requires schools to notify parents of bullying within 24 hours and incorporates “physical appearance, socioeconomic status, academic status, pregnancy, parenting status and homelessness” in the definition of what constitutes bullying.

The need to stop bullying cannot be emphasized enough. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 14% of public schools report that bullying is a daily, or at least weekly, discipline problem. Reports of bullying are highest among middle schools at 28%, with high schools and elementary schools at 16% and 9%, respectively. The impact on students is devastating, often leading to feelings of isolation, rejection, exclusion, despair, depression and anxiety, even suicide.