How Many Bullying Videos Must Go Viral Before Schools Act?
(From left): Lach Socheata, Pheak Sophea and Sok Somnang are third-year students at the Department of Media and Communication, Royal University of Phnom Penh. Supplied
#Opinion
When a bullying video spreads online, the reaction is often immediate. Many people ask how students could do such a thing, where the adults were, and why the school did not stop it earlier.
Those are fair questions. But by the time a video goes viral, the harm has usually already happened.
A student may already have been mocked, threatened, hit or humiliated. Other students may already have watched, laughed or joined in. The student who was targeted may already feel afraid to return to class.
Schools should not wait until bullying becomes a fight, a police case or a viral video before they respond. If a student is repeatedly mocked, threatened, excluded, filmed or humiliated, schools should already pay attention. Bullying should be treated as a student-safety issue early, not only after the damage becomes public.
Bullying is often hidden behind softer words. Some people call it teasing. Some call it a joke. Some say students are just playing around. But when the same student is targeted again and again, it is no longer normal student behaviour.
A student may be mocked because of their appearance, accent, family background, clothing or school performance. At first, it may look like a nickname or a small comment. Later, it can become exclusion from group work, laughter during class, insults during break time or messages sent online.
For the student being targeted, school can start to feel unsafe. They may stop raising their hand in class. They may avoid certain classmates. They may sit alone during break time.
Cambodia has already seen how school violence can become a public issue only after it is too late. In 2020, The Post reported that the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport had called on education departments to improve and implement student codes of conduct after a series of school violence cases drew public concern.
The issue has not disappeared. The difference now is that phones and social media can make humiliation spread much faster.
Bullying does not always end at the school gate. A short video filmed in class or during break time can be shared in a Telegram group, Facebook group or TikTok account. Others may add insulting captions, laugh in the comments or forward it to more people.
For the student being humiliated, the bullying follows them home. It reaches their phone. It reaches a bigger audience. That makes the harm harder to escape.
This is why schools need to act before the situation becomes public. Punishment may be necessary in serious cases, but punishment after a video has spread is not enough. Schools also need ways to notice and respond before bullying becomes violence.
One practical step is safe reporting. Many students do not report bullying because they are afraid of revenge or embarrassment. Schools can create anonymous reporting boxes or simple digital forms so students can quietly report repeated teasing, threats, exclusion or harassment.
Reporting should not be treated as “complaining”. It should be treated as an early warning.
Teachers also need to pay attention to small signs. A student who suddenly becomes quiet, avoids group work, refuses to come to school or stays away from certain classmates may be facing something serious. Schools should not wait for that student to cry in public or for a fight to happen.
Counsellors, class teachers and school management should be involved early. A short conversation at the right time may prevent a bigger problem later.
Cambodia already has child-protection discussions in schools. UNICEF Cambodia has described work with the education ministry to promote positive discipline and child protection, including helping teachers manage classrooms without violence. The point is simple: discipline should protect students, not only punish them after something bad happens.
Schools also need to teach digital behaviour. Students should understand that filming, sharing or laughing at someone’s humiliation makes them part of the problem. Even if they did not start the bullying, they help it spread.
Parents also have a role. If their child bullies another student, parents should not dismiss it as “just joking”. They need to help their child understand consequences, respect and empathy.
If their child is the one being bullied, parents should listen and take the child’s feelings seriously. They should work calmly with the school to make sure the child is protected.
But schools must lead because bullying often happens where students spend most of their day. A school is not safe only because it has rules. It is safe when students know adults will listen before a problem becomes public or violent.
Cambodia does not need to wait for the next viral video to take bullying seriously. Schools can start with simple steps, for example, safe reporting, early teacher follow-up, counselling support, digital ethics lessons and real cooperation with parents.
Bullying is not a joke, a phase or normal misbehaviour. It is a warning that a student may not feel safe.
If schools act only after a video goes viral, they have waited too long.
Sok SomNang, Lach Socheata and Pheak Sophea are students at the Department of Media and Communication, Royal University of Phnom Penh. This op-ed was developed from a Public Relations class. The views and opinions expressed are their own.
-Phnom Penh Post-
