Kids learn to bully from adults’ threats, manipulation and criticism – a child psychologist explains how parents can model better tactics

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Jun 09, 2026 · 1087 words · By Angela J Narayan

Child Development Parental Influence Bullying Prevention

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What to know about Child Development

The author, a child psychologist, argues that children learn conflict resolution and bullying behaviors by observing the interactions of adults in their homes. The article suggests that parents can mitigate bullying and promote positive social skills by modeling kindness, respect, and teamwork.

Propaganda risk 20%

Claims checked 5

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center88%

Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

“Do what I say, or you’re not invited to my birthday party!” “I’m not going to be your partner on the project unless you give me the treat from your lunch!” These kinds of threats are tactics many school-age kids use to solve conflicts.

Why it matters

Parents and teachers sometimes assume these common threats are basically harmless.

Common ground

After all, are they so different from comments kids might hear from grown-ups in their lives?

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Causal Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Child Development story?
Which Republicans are objecting, and are they challenging the policy details or Trump's negotiating posture?
How does this story connect Child Development with Parental Influence over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/kids-learn-to-bully-from-adults-threats-manipulation…

analyticsAnalysis

20%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence

Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 5 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 2

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “As adults, these now-grown children [exposed to domestic violence between parents as early as in infancy] were more likely to be both victims and perpetrators of violence with their romantic partners.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (Brainly and UNH Today/general web results) confirm that children exposed to domestic violence are more likely to experience or perpetrate intimate partner violence as adults.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Children and young people exposed to, or witnessing domestic violence between their parents or primary caregivers is widely recognized as a form of child abuse. They can be placed in otherwise unthink…
https://phys.org/news/2025-06-young-people-witness-domestic-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The answer is TRUE; young people who grow up exposed to domestic violence are indeed more likely to experience or perpetrate intimate partner violence as adults. This underscores the importance of int…
https://brainly.com/question/45189241

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Across the span of childhood, more than half (57 percent) who are exposed to domestic violence were also victims of maltreatment, the researchers found. "Children who grow up in homes with physically …
https://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/news/release/2010/10/19/childre…

info

Claim 2: “Bullying is tied to poor outcomes not only for the child who is bullied but for the bullies themselves, who run a higher risk than their peers of experiencing depression when they become teens.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general definitions of 'childhood' from Wikipedia and Merriam-Webster. There is no evidence provided that discusses the link between childhood bullying and teenage depression for the bullies themselves.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Child playing piano, 1984 Early childhood follows the infancy stage and begins with toddlerhood when the child begins speaking or taking steps independently. [16][17] While toddlerhood ends around age…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Outline of childhood The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to childhood: Children – biologically, a child (plural: children) is generally a human between the stages of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_childhood

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · The meaning of CHILDHOOD is the state or period of being a child.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/childhood

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Claim 3: “Youth who are bullies also are more likely to engage in aggressive and rule-breaking behavior, have substance use problems and hang out with other adolescents who share these tendencies.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (StopBullying.gov and a mental health report) confirm that youth who bully are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, substance abuse, and aggressive behaviors.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Psychological problems are common after being bullied (see review by Hawker and Boulton, 2000) and include internalizing problems, such as depression, anxiety, ...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK390414/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Dec 10, 2025 ... Kids who bully others can also engage in violent and other risky behaviors into adulthood. Kids who bully are more likely to: Abuse alcohol, ...
https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/effects

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 8, 2026 ... These include significant academic problems, substance use disorders, and aggressive behaviors. Helping a Bullied Child.
https://deconstructingstigma.org/guides/bullying-kids-teens

info

Claim 4: “People were particularly likely to be violent as adults if they were exposed to domestic violence when they were in preschool, as opposed to later in childhood”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence discusses media violence in preschool and general impacts of domestic violence, but none of the sources specifically compare the risk of adult violence for those exposed in preschool versus those exposed later in childhood.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Exposure to violent media by preschool-aged children especially has received little attention, although viewing habits in this age group have increased dramatically over the past decade, raising conce…
https://scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S222…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This article examines how domestic violence impacts the lives and education of young children, children, and young people and how they can be supported withi...
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Domestic violence households with children were more likely to be low-income, non-White, and headed by a single female compared to households at large. Logistic regressions revealed that six major DVE…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6350103_Children's_…

verified

Claim 5: “Stanford psychologist Albert Bandura’s seminal 1961 “Bobo Doll Study” found that preschool children who saw an adult hit and kick a life-size inflatable figure were more likely to be aggressive toward that figure when frustrated.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The claim is directly confirmed by multiple Wikipedia entries and academic summaries of the 1961 Bobo Doll study, confirming Albert Bandura's role, the age of the children (preschool), and the result (increased aggression toward the doll).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Albert Bandura (December 4, 1925 – July 26, 2021) was a Canadian-American psychologist and professor of social science in psychology at Stanford University, who contributed to the fields of education …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Bandura

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bobo doll experiment was used by psychologist Albert Bandura to test his social learning theory. Between 1961 and 1963, he studied children's behaviour after watching an adult model act aggressive…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobo_doll_experiment

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_psychology

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.