Society is growing ever-more aware of the grave harm bullying can cause children. Studies show that victims and bullies are more likely to suffer from mental issues for years, perhaps decades later. For a few youth, the bullying they deal with is so severe they attempt suicide. Many youth don’t encounter bullies only at school or on social networks. Some experts say bullying has become a staple of many reality television shows, and kids may be learning the wrong lessons from such shows. Research has shown that children who see aggressive and violent behavior on TV are more likely to grow up to be aggressive, violent adults. Other studies say aggressive behavior is more likely to be imitated the more real violence appears to be. That means that when Gordon Ramsay of “Kitchen Nightmares” calls his pupils “disgusting pigs” and brings some to tears, or Simon Cowell tears down a contestant during auditions, it can have long-term consequences for some of those watching. “I think certainly people who watch Gordon Ramsay know that behavior is an extreme, but it can creep slowly into the ways viewers react in real life,” says psychologist Sarah Coyne. (CNN)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.