Tampa, Florida - When one hears about a fight breaking out in school, one usually thinks it's between two boys. But a new survey shows more often it is girls who are getting physically violent with each other.
A study by the National Survey on Drugs Use and Health finds one in four girls between 12 and 17 years old said they engaged in violent behavior some time during the last year, and nearly one in five say they've been in a serious fight at school or work.
Some of the fights end up on the Internet. Scenes of girl on girl fighting are repeated on social websites like YouTube.
High school senior Amara says unlike boys, girls hold on to their feelings. She says fights often break out over "a guy, or 'I heard you say this,' or 'You pushed me in the hallway.' Anything to start drama. I guess they need attention or something."
The teens we talked to blame the social media. They say it plays a big role in promoting violence without the consequences.
Amara explains, "It doesn't say it's wrong or what happens after... it's the adrenalin rush or emotional rush of being in the fight or watching the fight."
Anoth senior, Kenia, adds the consequences can be severe. "You get suspended, you can get arrested. It's just not worth it at all to fight on campus or off campus at all."
While fighting doesn't seem "lady-like," the girls say the gender rules these days are fuzzy. "Girls try to be like a guy, equal like a guy. Subconsciously erasing those lines, 'Guys can do it, I can too,' " explains Amara.
While the survey covers middle and high school students, the students we spoke with say most school fights they've seen have been in middle school.
"I don't think the girls are mature enough in middle school. In high school, it's a different environment," says Kenia.
Hillsborough school social worker Dr. Charles Jaksec says rarely are school fights spontaneous. "What you see is something that has been festering. When you interview some of the kids, you realize these two have been going at it for a while. We like to make sure they don't continue going at it."
Jaksec says the key is catching the problem early before violence breaks out. "When we see the welling of aggression or tension, we move in with school guidance counselors and administrators. We pull those kids see what the issue is figure out better ways to deal with the problem." He adds, "The biggest challenge for the school district is to teach them to talk it out."
The survey does not reflect what's happening in Hillsborough schools. According to district records, twice as many boys than girls have been disciplined for fighting in each of the last three years:
- 2008/2009 - 815 girls and 1,589 boys
- 2007/2008 - 906 girls and 1,872 boys
- 2006/2007 - 1,037 girls and 1,908 boys
Dr. Jaksec says parents need to talk to their kids, especially after a fight. "A fight is a trauma. Talk to your kids. As corny as it may sound, talk about their feelings. Nobody goes into a fight and say they're calm. It has an affect on you."
He adds stress at home due to financial issues, unemployment can add to the stress a student may be feeling at school.
Isabel Mascarenas
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