Events

NITS Teikyo University Center Forum:The Current State of Bullying – The Shifting Boundaries of Bullying and the Future Role of Schools –

Overview

The "Act on the Promotion of Measures to Prevent Bullying" defines bullying not only in terms of the severity of the act or whether there was intent, but also from the perspective of whether the child or student is experiencing physical or mental distress. This approach has been important from the standpoint of protecting children who report being victims at an early stage. However, in recent years, schools that have been addressing and responding to bullying based on this approach have encountered new difficulties. There are increasingly more situations where it is not easy to determine whether "this is bullying" or "who should be considered the victim and who the perpetrator is."
Furthermore, the problem of bullying is no longer confined to schools. For example, through the spread of social media and videos, not only the child accused of bullying but also their family can be identified and become targets of social condemnation. This makes it difficult for parents to come to terms with their child's actions and the fact of the bullying, and can create a situation where it is not easy to share an understanding with the school.

This forum will bring together individuals who have addressed the issue of bullying from diverse perspectives, including legal, media, and educational administration. Based on concrete examples, we will consider, together with the participants, the role that schools should play in the future in this situation, which extends not only "within the classroom" but also "outside the classroom" to parents, the community, and social media.

Detailed information