Programming note: Watch the new AC360° documentary "The Bully Effect" at 10 p.m. ET tonight on CNN, and on March 3 and 9 at 8 p.m. ET.
In the last few years, awareness about bullying has increased dramatically. While some adults may still think bullying is just a youthful rite of passage, more and more parents, educators and kids understand that bullying today is worse than in previous generations.
It doesn't stop at the school yard or even a child's front door. Access to the Internet and social media websites mean kids can be bullied and tormented around the clock, even in the supposed safety of their own homes. The cruelty that can come with the strike of a button on a keyboard can hurt just as much as any punch or push in a playground.
We've produced a documentary called "The Bully Effect" which follows the stories of a number of people filmmaker Lee Hirsch introduced audiences to in his remarkable 2012 film "Bully." These are kids and parents who have taken their pain, their suffering, their grief and turned it into action. They are truly inspiring.