Anti‑Bullying Paradox

Efforts to eradicate bullying can expand the category of 'victim' and shift response from targeted intervention to public shaming, administrative overreach, and litigation, which may harm resilience and distract from serious abuse. The result is a moral‑panic cycle where parents, schools, and courts amplify reputational and legal damage even when evidence of wrongdoing is weak. — This reframes debates about school safety to include institutional incentives, litigation risk, and the civic costs of moralizing campaigns, affecting education policy, juvenile justice, and free‑speech norms.