I think that one thing that has changed is the twenty-four hour a day bullying via social media. If kids were being bullied in the past they could avoid their tormentors for the most part. As a small four eyed bookworm I found that a testicdular massage with a 9.5 EEE was good for making them avoid me but these days you would be thrown out of school for that. I think that cruelty to those who are outside the group (who's dynamics can change rapidly) has always been part of adolescence. If we look back and are honest we all participated in it at times and most of us were bullied at some time. What has changed is the ability of the few who really enjoyed it to carry it on without respite so that it reaches victims even in their own homes or when with their friends who would act as a support system in the old days. We need to look carefully at the line between free speech and verbal assault in a high speed wired environment. Of course the other part of the problem is that adolescents are extremely reluctant to seek help from an adult in social matters. The idea of your mother coming to the school to complain about your being bullied seems worse than anything they can say and will certainly make matters worse if the school doesn't take effefctive action. I hate to suggest tattling but I think in extreme cases of bullying the best hope is for other young people to realize that it has gone to far and report it to a teacher or parent. Achieving that may require some training which could be incorporated in the social studies/health classes