Bullying among adults: it doesn’t just happen in the workplace. Reality TV series MAFS Australia highlights bullying in communities

Written: May 6, 2026

I found Married At First Sight (MAFS) Australia by chance while flicking channels. I had stumbled upon an episode where Alissa, one of the brides, was being verbally assaulted by a small group of other brides at a dinner party. This unexpected example of relentless bullying on-screen resonated powerfully with me because I am acutely aware of the impact on bullying on individuals within communities.

The most revealing scenes of the episode came immediately after the dinner party, when we saw Alissa in her hotel room afterwards. She had remained extraordinarily calm and composed throughout the dinner party, appearing to ignore the bullying and choosing to focus on talking to other couples. But now, in the quiet of her hotel room, she was distraught and weeping profusely, the impact of the bullying finally revealed. The calm and unruffled exterior at the dinner party was simply masking the deep anguish she was feeling inside.

As viewers, we felt concern and empathy for someone suffering. But this scene had an even deeper impact on me. Because this was a vivid on-screen portrayal of what many people (who are being bullied in communities) experience every day. They successfully mask their pain, because they figure that showing the bullies they are suffering risks drawing even more bullying.

Understandably, many of us have questioned why the producers did not intervene, and why the relentless bullying was allowed to continue throughout that evening.  

As valid as these concerns are, some victims of adult bullying feel that MAFS Australia ultimately did something very important though. As well as portraying vividly the profound and often hidden impact of bullying, it showed that bullying can happen in any type of community.

When I had looked for organisations offering help and support for adult bullying, their websites focused predominantly on workplace bullying. I couldn’t find resources that focused on bullying in other types of communities, such as in neighbourhoods.

The lack of focus on adult bullying (outside the workplace) means that too many people feel they have to navigate their own way through it. 

The consequences to someone’s mental health can be deeply damaging. As well as experiencing depression and anxiety, and the risk of post-traumatic symptoms, they may experience profound psychological harm.

In MAFS Australia the experts work with the participants responsible for the bullying, helping them to explore what it at the root of their bullying and supporting them to change their behaviour.

In the outside world, victims of community bullying are often still very much on their own. We need designated services to support people to survive it.

In the past five years, we have seen an increase in the number of people (accessing our Suicide Crisis Centre) who are experiencing harassment or bullying within their neighbourhood or within their block of flats.

We would welcome evidence from other organisations and communities who have observed a similar increase. We would also welcome contact from anyone who is keen to improve services and support for people who are experiencing harassment or bullying in their local community.

Joy Hibbins runs a Suicide Crisis Centre: https://www.suicidecrisis.co.uk

Contact Joy at Joy.Hibbins@suicidecrisis.co.uk

National Bullying Helpline: Information and advice about all forms of bullying

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