The reasons for bullying among adolescents in Chinese high schools

Argument and Outline: I would like to argue that several factors from different

perspectives lead to bullying among teenagers in Chinese high schools. To support my

argument, I will mention the following points as factors that lead to bullying in

Chinese high schools:

1. Families: Inappropriate family upbringing

2. Schools: The insufficient school moral education

3. Society: A poor legal system

Most bullies are children who come from the autocratic, indulgent or laissez-faire

families. In autocratic families, parents are always strict, tough and rude to their

children making their children to develop grumpy spleen. This is because they tend to

copy them. When there are differences or disagreements between classmates they find

it easier for them to solve it by bullying. The satisfaction and accomplishment are

obtained in the process of bullying the classmates. In doting families, parents take too

much care of their children by favoring them, which can make their children become

self-centered in the process. This makes them not to take into account the feelings of

the people around them, they rather blame others when things go wrong and enforce

their feelings through bullying. In laissez-faire families, parents allow their children to

discipline themselves, which make their children develop bohemian character, and

find a sense of personal existence from bullying.

However, some students who grow up in such families can also find the counter

motivation. This is happens because when they cannot get enough love and support
from their original families, they try to build their promising future through their own

effort which is bullying others so as to suppress them.

These are just examples which cannot represent most situations. The inappropriate

educational mode of family does exert the negative effects on adolescents and

probably becomes the inducement to make them bullies.

Most of the high schools in China give first priority to the students' academic

performance. Conversantly, they do not pay much attention to moral education. Some

parents and teachers even believe that good grades are equivalent to good moral

education. The only option for schools to prevent and treat the phenomenon of

bullying on the campus is to only to stay on the verbal preaching. Despite the fact that

these measures have been placed, no practical measures have been taken. However,

most of the high school students are aged between16 and 18, therefore their

personalities are not yet fully formed. The outlook on life and values are easily

influenced and distorted by others. They are still in the stage of shaping, making it

difficult for students to form a correct morality.

Counter: The education policy of china clearly points out that adhering to moral

education is the first priority, and schools have indeed carried out various kinds of

moral education activities on a regular basis.

However, most schools' moral education only stays on the didactic. The moral

education activities only focuses on the form but do not pay attention to the actual

effect of ideological and moral education, which cannot really promote students' good

moral conduct.
The starting point of national policy and school is good, but the effect is not an ideal,

so reform is imperative.

Due to the lack of relevant regulations in national laws, some teenagers think that they

will not meet the consequences. The lack of relevant regulations blind some bullies

from knowing how serious the impact of their behaviors is. Currently, China has not

established a law specifically for campus bullying. So the punishment of bullying can

only invoke the relevant laws and regulations such as 'the Public Security

Administration Punishment Law', 'the General Principles of Civil Law', and 'the Law

on the Protection of Minors'. Whether it is civil liability or criminal liability, there is a

rule of age of responsibility. After students implement the bullying behavior, due to

the age limit, the law cannot make the necessary punishment for it, but release it.

Counter: Due to the behavior of adolescents; that most of them are immature, some

people argue that the society should deal with the bullying behavior of young people

by means of guidance rather than imprisonment.

However, due to the fact that legal-related education is becoming more

comprehensive, the number of Chinese who are not conversant with the law are less.

Therefore, several youth bully others without the knowledge of the repercussions. The

main reason why they keep on bullying is that they believe that they are unregulated

or even produce a contempt for the law.

The legislative balance is to strengthen the supervision of cultural activities that

negatively influence young people through the combination of correct thinking and

appropriate practical punishment, and create a good social growth environment for
young people.

Therefore, it is necessary to find the legislative balance through the combination of

Ideological Education and appropriate practical punishment and also to strengthen the

supervision of the relevant fields like cultural activities which may have negative

effects on youth inadvertently.