Many parents regard it as an unavoidable rite of passage for their kids, but it's been revealed that their offspring are losing IQ points when they become involved in physical altercations at school.
A study has found that girls who fight drop over three IQ points when injured, almost double that of a boy who lose 1.62 IQ points.
Co-author of the study, Joseph A Schwatz of Florida State University, said the study shows teen fights have "much more serious consequences than a broken bone or a black eye".
"Females lost almost twice as many IQ points for each serious fighting injury compared to males."
You just have to type 'girls fighting' into YouTube to realise teenage fights are a serious and common occurance. Many seem to be scheduled and the surrounding crowd are more than happy to film it and post it online. Tim Bowden, a school counsellor and co-author of I Just Get So...Angry says this is a real issue.
"Before a fight might have had a few witnesses down the back of the shed but now it gets uploaded and so many more people are going to see it."
"It is harder for people to walk away from confrontation when everybody has their phones out..''
The Keep Schools Safe website reveals 1 in seven children have been in a physical fight on school property with 1 in nine of those needing medical treatment afterwards.
Has your child ever been involved in a school yard fight?
