Why do some children become bullying perpetrators? This article synthesises evidence suggesting that bullying is often learned in environments where adults model harm, coercion, or humiliation. Published in Socialinis ugdymas (Social Education), Vol. 64, No. 2 (2025) (February 2026 issue), this article discusses Luca Laszlo’s scoping review of 88 peer-reviewed studies (published from 2010 onwards) examining links between children experiencing or witnessing violence or bullying by adults and later perpetrating peer bullying, both offline and online.
One of the article’s key contributions is conceptual clarity. Adult “bullying” is rarely labelled as such in research; instead, studies measure related experiences through terms such as child maltreatment, abuse and neglect, harsh or punitive parenting, corporal punishment, exposure to domestic violence, and community violence. Despite variation in terminology, the pattern is consistent: children exposed to adult aggression or intimidation are more likely to reproduce similar behaviours with peers, including cyberbullying.
The review also identifies significant blind spots. Most evidence focuses on harm in the child’s close environment (especially family settings), while bullying or violence by adults in authority roles (for example, teachers, coaches, or school staff) is substantially less studied. This is a critical gap because schools are not only sites where bullying occurs; they are also institutions responsible for safeguarding and modelling non-violent social norms.
Geographic imbalance is another limitation, with research concentrated in particular regions and fewer studies capturing broader cross-cultural contexts. The implications are direct: effective anti-bullying strategies cannot focus solely on peer dynamics. Prevention must also address adult behaviours, safe environments, and early intervention, because the roots of bullying perpetration often lie in what children repeatedly experience, observe, and come to see as normal.
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