A child’s nursery rhyme originating in England and recited by mothers to comfort their children. Essentially, the message is that words may be used by aggressors to be hurtful, but at least they do not cause physical harm like being beaten by a stick or stone. To today’s reader, this message is clearly misleading. Bullying by children and adults can still be witnessed in many areas of life.

Words can be used to provide all sorts of emotional responses. They can be used to motivate us, to provide loving support and general social good, but they can also be used to belittle us, shame us, degrade us, imprison us, and perhaps worst of all, prompt us to doubt our own abilities. But let’s put history into context to understand this nursery rhyme. Many years ago in Victorian England, life was harder. Most people belonged to a large working class that was paid as little as possible, poorly housed, undernourished, with little education, and without social rights enjoyed today. Many children did not survive birth or early childhood years, and became workers at a very young age. In the Victorian era mothers had much more to worry about for their children than the hurtful words of a bully.

Perhaps the greater problem in today’s world is that bullying and the harmful use of words is becoming more frequent and more far-reaching. Digital media enables one voice to reach millions of ears, and amplified the voice of many influencers, bad as well as good. Communication can be real-time and the ability to verify a message can pass too quickly.

Where is today’s nursery rhyme to provide our children – and adults – with comfort and guidance in a world of digital media?