As young as four years old, signs of bullying can start to appear. But it is most apparent in girls at about third grade, intensifying during middle-school age. Such behavior was once seen as a “rite of passage.” But cruelty can become a dangerous habit. Physical aggression in older girls has increased substantially. Only 25 years ago, male juvenile assault arrests outstripped girls by ten to one, according to James Garbarino’s See Jane Hit. In 2003 one in three juvenile arrests for violent crimes was a girl.

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