Dr.Phil to American Bar Association: Bullying Requires All Hands on Deck

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A room full of lawyers got a strong message from Dr. Phil McGraw, TV’s family therapist.  There is “no safe place for kids anymore,” Dr. Phil told a panel on bullying at the American Bar Association’s Midyear Meeting. “Kids can’t go to their room to get away from [bullying],” he said in the videotaped address on Friday.  “Bullies can still get to them through Facebook and the Internet.”

Dr. Phil said the victims of bullying need help.  “We need all hands on deck,” he said.  “This needs to be addressed and this needs to be addressed now.”

Other panelists echoed the call to action.  Richard Katskee of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, called bullying a “systemic problem that requires a systemic response.”

“Punishing a bully is not enough,” he said.  “They need therapy to help end the behavior.”

“This is a time when we can make progress and institutionalize change,” said Michael Lieberman, Washington Counsel for the Anti-Defamation league. Watch this anti-bullying PSA produced by the ABA that was featured at the conference:

The ABA’s Commission on Youth at Risk is seizing the momentum.  They won support for a resolution to the House of Delegates that urges state and federal officials to take action in eliminating bullying. Dr. Phil called the resolution “top notch.”  Key points of the resolution include:

Discourages inappropriate referral of youth to juvenile court
Labels expulsion and out-of-school suspension "inappropriate" punishments
Urges officials to prevent the causes of bullying

The resolution also calls for the identification of victims of bullying, a departure from current zero-tolerance policies in schools that do not distinguish between the bully and the victim.  Clayton County Juvenile Court Judge Steven Teske advocates reversing these policies. “Zero tolerance policies are contrary to our fundamental right to self-defense,” Judge Teske writes in an op-ed on JJIE.org

In a panel discussion titled Bringing Youth Justice to Georgia, Judge Teske called for a reduction in school referrals to juvenile courts.

Cobb Targets Adults in Crackdown on Underage and Teen Binge Drinking

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Police, school and public service groups across Cobb County are joining forces to fight underage drinking. They’re taking aim at parents and other adults who provide alcohol to teens in stores, at neighborhood parties, and inside homes across the area. Ten police, school and government agencies, plus MADD are working with the Cobb Alcohol Taskforce to investigate those who are selling and giving beer, alcopos and other alcoholic beverages to children. “This is not a youth problem, it’s an adult problem,” said Pat Giuliani, who chairs the Youth Services Committee of the Georgia PTA. Police chiefs from Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Marietta, Smyrna, Cobb Police, the Sheriff’s Office, the public schools, Kennesaw State, and Southern Polytechnic stood with representatives from MADD, the  PTA, the Department of Revenue, the County Solicitor’s Office and the Cobb Alcohol Task Force at a news conference Thursday inside Kennesaw City Hall.

Child Welfare Agencies Tell Lawmakers Full Time ‘Medical Director’ Would Benefit Kids

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There’s a new push for a full time medical director to oversee the medical needs of children in the care of both the Georgia’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS). Commissioner Clyde Reese III and DFCS Director Rachelle Carnesale, both new to their posts, announced their support for the position during a recent House Children & Youth Committee meeting at the state capitol. “We believe that the appointment of a full time medical director would be beneficial to the department and the children we serve,” Reese said, during the hour-long meeting that covered updates on the status of foster care and child support collection services for the state’s children. The Medicaid and Medicare programs were also discussed. “We think it would be most beneficial to work with someone who does that every day.”

Carnesale echoed a similar sentiment.

Popular Kids Believe Bullying Enhances Their Status

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The most popular kids in school are probably the most aggressive, according to a new study.  While aggression will not increase a kid’s popularity, popularity does increase aggression. The study by two University of California-Davis sociologists finds that popular kids have a tendency to be social climbers, and believe bullying is a tool for reinforcing or enhancing their status. But there’s a very different story to tell about kids who are extremely popular – the top 2 percent. They're actually the least aggressive and it may well be because they feel the most secure, according livescience.com

The study is published in the American Sociological Review, where researchers also report that the nearly two-thirds of kids are bystanders and do not participate in bullying.  They recommend that efforts to end aggression and bullying should focus on getting those bystanders to condemn bullying.

Suburbs See Largest Increase in Teen Gang Activity

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More kids are joining gangs than ever before and reports of gang violence are on the rise.  For the first time, gang activity has been reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, says a report by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Suburban areas saw the largest increase in gang activity at 22 percent followed closely by rural communities.  Part of the problem, according to the report, is the lack of gang awareness among community leaders, parents, and school. The report, “Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs,” says that many kids join gangs for protection, respect, and money, among other reasons.  Gang members exhibit common risk factors that include antisocial behavior, alcohol and drug abuse, and mental health problems.  Almost all gang members were involved in previous delinquent acts. The report also describes prevention and intervention strategies for kids at various levels of gang participation.  Kids at risk for joining gangs should be taught refusal skills while those already in gangs should join intervention programs.

Teens Safer By Themselves: Study Says Risky Behavior More Likely With Friends

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Confirming what you probably already know, a new study finds teens are more likely to engage in risky behavior when their friends are around. The study by Temple University says the portion of the brain associated with reward showed “greater activation” in teens doing risky things with their friends. "These results suggest that the presence of peers does not impact the evaluation of the risk but rather heightens sensitivity in the brain to the potential upside of a risky decision," said psychologist Jason Chein, lead author of the study. The full study is only available with a subscription but you can read more at Science Daily.

Dads: Spending Time With Your Kids Could Stop Them From Bullying

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Even more incentive for dads to spend time with their kids: new research says children who think their fathers work too much could become bullies. The study by Vanderbilt University sociologist Andre Christie-Mizell found that bullying behavior increased when fathers worked full time or overtime. “Our behavior is driven by our perception of our world, so if children feel they are not getting enough time and attention from parents then those feelings have to go somewhere and it appears in interaction with their peers,” Christie-Mizell told Science Daily. Christie-Mizell recommends establishing scheduled time for dads to spend with their kids. “What this research shows is that while it's equally important for kids to spend time with both parents, fathers need to make an extra effort," he said.

Humane Society To Kids: Stop Dogfighting In Atlanta

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It is not uncommon to spot DeAndre Weaver strolling through Northwest Atlanta streets with his loyal pit bulls Champ and Gia at his side. However, unlike many other young men in his neighborhood, he does not scour the community in search of fellow dog owners willing to “fight” their pets for status or winnings from small wagers. He patrols the area — with a stack of fliers in hand—promoting the contrary. “It’s a very serious issue; I have a lot of associates who do fight dogs and some of them are young,” he says. “It’s very important to let them know that they can do other things besides fight their dog.”

Weaver, 24, is now an ambassador of sorts for The Humane Society of the United States’ (The HSUS) End Dogfighting campaign, an initiative now underway in Atlanta and two other U.S. cities, that aims to divert at-risk youth away from urban or “street” dogfighting.

More Kids Are Reporting Crime to Teachers, Doctors and Police

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Kids experience a surprising amount of violence. More than 58 percent say violence has touched them in the past year and almost half of them turned to school officials, police or doctors for help. These numbers, from the University of New Hampshire, show that kids are reporting trouble to authorities more than ever before. Researchers surveyed more than 4,500 young people from ages 10 to 17 and asked them about their experiences with conventional crime, maltreatment, family abuse, sex abuse and other exposure to violence. The study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that school authorities generally knew about violent incidents first.

Warning to Parents: Girls Who Are Bullied More Likely to Turn to Drugs

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Girls who are bullied are at higher risk of substance abuse resulting from depression, according to a new study by Jeremy Luk at the University of Washington. Research had previously shown that both boys and girls who are victims of bullying may suffer from depression, but Luk’s research is the first to identify the link between victimization and substance abuse in girls. Luk says, “If your daughter is a victim of bullying, take it seriously, do all possible to prevent recurrence, and attend to possible depression and substance use.”  His findings appear in the December issue of Prevention Science. The full text of the study is only available with a subscription but you can read more at sciencedaily.com.