Bullying in schools is evolving and becoming harder to detect.
Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services Dr. Natalie Chaitan-Maharaj says while physical violence continues to make its way onto social media, a growing wave of hidden cyberbullying is quietly affecting students across the country.
Speaking on Trinidad and Tobago Today, she said the country continues to witness troubling incidents of school violence, which are now being recorded, uploaded, and shared in minutes.
“We’ve all seen the TikToks and the Reels about violence in schools. We also need to realise that bullying in schools is not what it was a generation ago, just fists and fights. Now it extends into cyberbullying as well, and we need to address the silent aspect of it that we don’t see on the road that social media brings in now.”
She noted that cyberbullying reaches children at home, late at night and even during class, often through private messages, group chats and viral posts that spread far beyond a single school.
The Senator said she believes this hidden digital aggression is contributing to long-term emotional harm.
“Nerds and people interested in academia and, for any other reason, who is bullied in schools, it stays with you, and it stays in your core memories, and it forms who you are, sometimes not always in a positive way.”
Dr. Chaitan-Maharaj hopes the new Walls for Change initiative, an art competition targeting students nationwide, will spark meaningful conversations and shift youth attitudes before the problem becomes even more ingrained.
“Walls for Change is basically an art competition that we are launching for primary and secondary schools to invite children between the ages of 7 and 17 to submit art pieces for the competition along the themes of anti-bullying and gender-based violence. In a broader sense, it’s our way of helping bring awareness to the issue.”
Those murals, she said, could become powerful daily reminders – teaching kindness, empathy and healthy relationships through art.
“I think art is a medium that allows us to address any issue. More importantly, it is a medium that speaks to this age group. It allows them to be able to express their feelings where they may not have the capacity for the words.”
Minister Chaitan-Maharaj said early intervention, awareness and cultural change are now critical.
“I am a doctor in a previous life, so to me it is always better to prevent than cure. So, while we are also tackling issues of bullying in schools as it happens, this project is aimed at helping to prevent it from becoming an issue as generations progress.”
Walls for Change remains open for student submissions until the end of March.