LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There is a lot of excitement that comes with a new school year, but getting back in the swing of things can be more difficult for Kentucky students who have been victims of bullying.

“This is one of our top concerns of our elementary schools as well as our middle schools,” said Kentucky State Police Tpr. Corey King, adding that bullying is also a problem in the Commonwealth’s high schools.

 Bullying is not a new problem, but it has evolved. King said, nowadays, social media is where most bullying takes place.

“Some two generations or two decades ago a kid who was bullied got bullied at school, maybe on the school bus, but once they got off the school bus they retreated to their safe haven and they were OK until the next day,” King explained. “For today’s generation of kids [bullying] is 24/7, and more importantly, it’s primarily over cell phones and social media.”

King encourages parents to talk with preteens and teens about social media. He recommends parents, who allow their child to use social media apps and platforms, monitor their activity by following their child as well as his or her friends.

King recently joined Spectrum News 1’s Kayla Moody on Your Morning News to talk about bullying. He explains how you can learn more about identifying bullying, how to appropriately address it, and prevention.