Bullied to Death: A Warning Every Parent Needs to Watch

The Dr. Phil Podcast

Dr. Phil McGraw

Education, Society & Culture

4.3 • 13.5K Ratings

🗓️ 28 January 2026

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Bullying is not “kids being kids.” It’s a crisis that is costing children their lives. If you’re a parent, please listen and watch on YouTube. In this episode of The Real Story, I explain why bullying continues in American schools and why institutions protect bullies more than victims.

Using real data and real cases, this video breaks down:

• Why bullied kids stop asking for help

• How bullying leads to hopelessness

• Why delayed intervention makes things worse

• What parents need to recognize early

Please share, and start the conversation. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In the U.S., call or text 988.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	If you're a parent in America, you need to stop what you're doing and listen to what I'm
0:05.8	about to talk about.
0:07.0	If I do say so myself, this topic can be very critical to people that you love.
0:13.3	The real story today is about bullying.
0:17.6	And let's get this out of the way right now.
0:22.3	Bullying isn't just a phase.
0:26.4	It isn't something that kids just go through.
0:29.4	It's not harmless.
0:31.2	And it sure as hell is not a rarity.
0:36.2	Sadly, it's not. I want to be clear. Every child is going to have a little bit of
0:41.2	exclusion, a little bit of neglect, a little bit of getting picked on. And, you know, that's okay.
0:47.7	They can learn to deal with that. I'm talking about when it goes to the next level, where they're
0:52.5	really targeted, where they're really being bullied to the point that it goes to the next level, where they're really targeted, where they're really
0:55.1	being bullied to the point that it begins to change who they are. A little bit of bullying,
1:00.5	a little bit of not being the center of attention all the time is probably good for a kid.
1:05.7	But we're talking about when it gets toxic. And the real question is not whether or not
1:10.7	it's happening. It's why it
1:13.9	keeps being allowed to happen. Now, here are some facts, not opinions, that are straight from the CDC.
1:20.6	About 34% of U.S. teenagers report being bullied at school. Now, again, we're not defining this as, hey, there wasn't a seat at the lunch table
1:32.4	for me.
1:33.3	We're talking about where they get targeted, cut out of the herd, excluded, and picked on
1:39.6	physically, mentally, emotionally.
	...

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