School Violence 2.8 Times Higher Than 20 Years Ago Due to Minor Issues Dramatic Increase in Elementary Schools

Currently, the number of violent incidents occurring in Japanese elementary, junior high, and high schools stands at approximately 95,000, marking the highest number ever recorded.

About 30 years ago, school violence typically involved delinquent groups known as “yankees” who would assault teachers or vandalize school windows. However, in recent years, the number of children engaging in such overt acts of violence has drastically decreased.

Despite this, why have violent acts among children become so prevalent? A principal of an elementary school in Tokyo explains:

“Previously, school violence was carried out by older students in junior high and high schools. However, now it is actually elementary schools that face more serious issues. The younger the children, the more noticeable their violent behaviors have become.”

What is happening to our children?

The recent book “Report: How Smartphone Parenting is Destroying Children” (Shinchosha) interviews over 200 education professionals from preschools to universities, shedding light on the problems children face. This article will continue from the previous part, “Part 1: Record Number of School Bullying Cases Includes Abusive Remarks and a Shocking Background Report,” to examine the current aggressive behaviors of children.

Part 1: Record Number of School Bullying: “Get lost, you scum” and Outrageous Outbursts

How much has school violence increased in Japanese elementary, junior high, and high schools? Compared to 20 years ago, the number of incidents has increased 2.8 times. Considering the decrease in the number of children due to the declining birthrate, it’s clear that violence has increased even more than the numbers suggest.

Among these, the most notable is the violence committed by elementary school students. While high school students have decreased and junior high school students have fluctuated but not changed significantly, only elementary school students have shown a significant increase year after year.

The lower the grade, the more likely violent behavior becomes

A teacher working at an elementary school in Tokyo says:

“Fights often break out among the children during class. Even if there is a valid reason, the causes of these conflicts are really trivial and insignificant. For example, if a child next to them doesn’t lend them an eraser, or if their indoor shoes get dirty because someone stepped on them, or if they felt laughed at by a friend for a mistaken comment.

These minor incidents, which one might expect to occur normally in school, trigger immediate reactions such as hitting someone or breaking things. It’s surprising to think that if they were to get angry over every little thing, they wouldn’t be able to cope.”

Recent years have shown a trend in violent behavior among elementary school students. As the principal mentioned earlier, the younger the grade, the more likely violent behavior becomes.

Why do trivial matters escalate into violent incidents, as mentioned by the teacher? A teacher working at an elementary school in Hyogo Prefecture explains:

“Children who cause problems in class often cannot control their emotions and tend to believe that everything should go their way. This type of child is increasing year by year. They live with the assumption that everyone around them will cater to their needs.

These children are surprisingly quick to lose their temper if things don’t go as they expect. They cannot accept reality. Therefore, they get easily excited over minor issues, curse at others, and resort to physical violence. They also do not hesitate to use violence against teachers.”

According to the teacher, the increase in this type of child is influenced by excessive pampering by parents.

Parents tend to prepare everything in advance and have their children follow predetermined activities rather than trusting them to explore and do things freely. From the preschool stage, they avoid children who might cause trouble, ensuring that everything is prepared by adults and excessively praising them with comments like “Good job” or “Amazing,” while eliminating failures and experiences of setbacks as much as possible.

As a result, by the time children enter elementary school, they come to expect that everything should go their way and that they will be praised. When things don’t go as expected, they either become enraged and act out violently or quickly lose heart. This is said to be causing the increase in violence among lower-grade students.

 

The teacher continues:

“Experiencing failures and setbacks is essential for children. It is through these experiences that they learn that the world doesn’t always go their way and that they need to persevere through minor issues and accept others’ multifaceted nature. Without these experiences, they either lash out and destroy relationships or simply stop coming to school. If children don’t develop this ability by preschool or kindergarten, it will be very difficult to manage in elementary school.”

If violent behavior is widespread among first and second graders, it’s necessary to teach emotional control during the preschool years. By the time they start school, it is too late if they lack these skills entirely.

Another factor contributing to the increase in violent behavior, according to the teacher, is:

“Another factor in the rise of school violence is cases where children with strong developmental characteristics cause trouble. It is a well-known fact that there is an increase in children with developmental characteristics in schools. Nowadays, it’s accepted that even if such children act out in the classroom, we should ‘acknowledge their traits,’ and teachers are unable to restrain them physically. If they do, they could be criticized for suppressing or trampling on the child’s traits. As a result, the only option is to leave them alone.

Consequently, these children continue to cause more trouble. Additionally, even children without developmental traits may start to mimic this behavior and act out. Once this negative cycle begins, it’s uncontrollable and can quickly lead to classroom breakdown.”

Children with strong developmental characteristics do not necessarily cause trouble. In fact, many are likely to be quiet. However, due to traits such as an inability to control emotions or read the atmosphere, conflicts with others can occur depending on the classroom environment.

 

“What does it mean to ‘acknowledge’?”

In today’s schools, it is considered better for teachers to acknowledge students with developmental characteristics rather than to suppress them. Since developmental traits do not improve through suppression, this basic approach is not incorrect.

However, most teachers do not understand what it means to “acknowledge.” Many interpret it as meaning to simply leave the child’s behavior unaddressed. Naturally, this leads to the child clashing with peers in various situations.

The teacher continues:

“Talking about acknowledging developmental traits is easy. But from a teacher’s perspective, the question is ‘How exactly do we acknowledge them?’ There are no answers from the Board of Education or the government, which leads to the reality of classrooms becoming increasingly chaotic.”

How are schools dealing with this situation? For more details, please refer to “Report: How Smartphone Parenting is Destroying Children.”

What can be said here is that it is difficult for schools alone to stop the increase in school violence. It is necessary for society as a whole, including parents, to understand the reality occurring in schools. On this basis, it is essential to clarify what needs to be done to equip children with the ability to control their emotions. Whether or not this can be achieved will likely determine the future of school violence.