Why Do They Bully? The Factors Behind Bullying Behavior Among Students

This study aims to investigate whether internal and external environments influence teenagers’ propensity to bully their peers. We propose three variables to predict bullying behavior in high school students, namely parenting styles, peer interaction and social media. Data were collected through questionnaires from 763 students of SMAN 2 Kotabaru, South Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. We employ SEM-PLS to examine the relationship among variables. The results indicate that parenting styles significantly influence bullying behavior among students, suggesting that parents are responsible to shape their children’s behavior at home. Parents are the role model for their children which spend their time most with and most likely adopt their parent values. Furthermore, peer interaction also influences student’s propensity to bully their peers. The circle of friends determines how students treat their peers or people outside their circle. Peers may directly or indirectly form a supportive or resistant climate for bullying behavior among their circles. It is not surprising that the results also found that social media significantly influences bullying behavior among students. Social media delivers various forms of content, ranging from educational, entertainment to violent. Students need to be guided and supervised regarding their use of gadgets and social media. The results suggest the role of all parties including parents, school authorities and government to discourage bullying behavior among teenagers. A comprehensive education and socialization are needed to provide understanding of bullying behavior and its effect on social milieu as preventive action.