DW: Rise in Bullying and Cyberbullying Among Ukrainian Students During the War

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has cast a long shadow over the lives of its young people, and a disturbing trend is emerging within the nation's schools: a significant rise in peer and cyberbullying. While the world's attention has been focused on the external aggressions, Ukrainian educators and psychologists are grappling with the internal trauma manifesting in classrooms. DW reports that wartime traumas and the pervasive stress of living under constant threat are taking a heavy toll on adolescents, leading some to lash out at others. This phenomenon, where students may be 'lifting themselves up by putting others down,' is a complex psychological response to an unbearable situation. Schools like Lyceum 45 in Kyiv are actively working to combat this, bringing in police teams not only for air raid drills but also to discuss bullying and cyberbullying. The shift towards cyberbullying is particularly concerning, as digital platforms offer new avenues for harassment. From a Ukrainian perspective, this is not just a schoolyard issue; it's a direct consequence of the war impacting the mental and social well-being of the next generation, a reality often overlooked in international coverage that focuses solely on the military aspects of the conflict.

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When young people hear an explosion, it affects them.