Pushing, name calling and psychological games have defined the schoolyard for centuries, but there are signs that is starting to change.
New research reveals that the number of Australian school-aged children experiencing bullying has dropped by almost a quarter in the past seven years.
The study, by University of South Australia academics, found that 20 per cent of school-aged children regularly experienced bullying in 2015, compared to 27 per cent of students in 2007. 
Report co-author Ken Rigby - who is an adjunct professor at the university's school of education and a member of the National Centre Against Bullying - attributed the drop to teachers talking about bullying with their students.
But he said bullying still remained "unacceptably high" and more needed to be done.
The report found students were most likely to be targeted in the playground, classroom and corridor. They were most likely to be bullied because of their appearance or for being obese, being or seeming "gay," or having a disability. Despite the reduction in bullying more than 4 per cent of incidents were being referred to police at the 46 surveyed schools.

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Overall, girls were more likely to be bullied than boys and reported being deliberately ignored, teased, and sent harassing texts. Boys were more likely to report being physically bullied, racially and sexually harassed. At the same time, girls were more likely to seek help from peers than boys, while boys were more likely to go to the police or to out of school counselling services.
The research also found that cyberbullying was not as prevalent as it may seem.
"Many children say they feel much safer at home from cyberbullying than they do in the playground where they might be hit," Professor Rigby said.
More than 1600 Australian state school students took part in the research, which will be presented at the National Centre Against Bullying conference in   July, an initiative of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.

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The report found that while anti-bullying policies had been developed in each of the participating schools only 50 per cent of students were aware of them.
Four of the nation's education leaders surveyed said they were concerned but not surprised by the data. One called bullying "an easy excuse when something goes wrong". 
Bully Zero Australia Foundation executive Oscar Yildiz said awareness campaigns as well as new laws had deterred students from bullying and had helped change perceptions.
Under federal law, people who use a carriage service like the internet to harass, menace or intimidate face up to three years' in jail. And in Victoria, "Brodie's Law" has made serious bullying a crime that is punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
Mr Yildiz's organisation works with grade 2 to year 12 students to stamp out bullying.
"They need to understand that you can't treat someone unfairly and think there are no consequences," he said "They need to take responsibility for their actions. It's law."
Overport Primary School in the bayside Melbourne suburb of Frankston has turned its bullying culture around by engaging students in activities during lunch and recess.
The school secured a $5000 Bully Stoppers grant and has used the funds to get students involved in projects, like building a sensory garden and renovating a caravan where older students with special training help students who feel unsafe.
"Rather than walking around and looking for their next target, they can can get their hands dirty and engage with other students," teacher Ricky Joyce said.