While bullying may have changed during COVID, cyberbullying is still a very real concern and remains a significant threat to students.

5 ways bullying changed during the pandemic


While bullying may have changed during COVID, cyberbullying is still a very real concern and remains a significant threat to students’ well-being

Throughout my career as a school counselor, I’ve worked with students in a variety of educational settings. This includes alternative and charter schools, traditional brick-and-mortar settings, and online school.

Even though they’re all different, I’ve witnessed similar bullying behavior and trends in each of them.

Here are five ways bullying has changed during the pandemic–and one way it’s stayed the same:

1. There’s less opportunity to be a bully.

A widely held perception is that most students miss social time with their peers because of the pandemic. While this may be true for some, it is not true for all. For students who experienced bullying, time spent at school socializing with others could be more stressful than enjoyable.

2. Students who experienced bullying are feeling a sense of relief.

The pandemic has disrupted our daily lives, routines, and structure. It’s also disrupted some potentially harmful bullying behaviors that were occurring in our schools, such as verbal aggression, relational aggression, and in some cases, even physical aggression.

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