Et tu, Brute? Teens may be more likely to be bullied by social-climbing friends About 20% of students ages 12 to 18 report being bullied at school during the school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Image: Getty Images MachineHeadz Et tu, Brute? Teens may be more likely to be bullied by social-climbing friends Katie Bohn February 22, 2021 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Adolescents and teens may be more likely to be bullied by their friends — and friends-of-friends — than classmates they don’t know as well, according to a new study. Diane Felmlee, distinguished professor of sociology and demography at Penn State and researcher on the paper, said the findings give new insight into how and why bullying occurs — important information for anti-bullying efforts.