Aussie actor and grieving mother who captured the nation’s attention by demanding a hard line “four-strikes” policy against schoolyard bullies has delivered a powerful warning over radical new laws introduced abroad.Clare McCann, whose 13-year-old son Atreyu tragically died by suicide following relentless school bullying, says that while global action is urgent, punishing parents without fixing broken homes will only drive vulnerable children further into danger.Atreyu, a boy named after the brave hero of The NeverEnding Story, was remembered by his mother as a beautiful, gentle soul who deserved to feel safe. His loss sparked a national conversation regarding systemic failures in Australian schools, leading Ms McCann to turn her unbearable grief into a fierce campaign for justice.Now, her warning comes as Malaysia rolls out the historic Anti-Bullying Act 2026. The world-first reform shifts the legal burden from the classroom to the living room by creating a dedicated, quasi-judicial Anti-Bullying Tribunal. Under the new rules, if a minor is found liable for continuous bullying, the tribunal can hold parents jointly liable.Parents can be ordered to attend mandatory parenting support classes or face compensation fines of up to RM250,000 (approx. $85,000 AUD). Under Section 44 of the Act, if a parent fails to comply with the tribunal’s orders within 30 days, they face criminal prosecution and up to two years in prison.For Ms McCann, who previously advocated for strict, systematic removal of bullies from schools, the global momentum is a victory — but the execution requires a deep understanding of why children hurt other children in the first place.“If working on this petition has taught me anything about bullying, it is that many children who bully are themselves growing up in abusive or harmful home environments and repeating the behaviour they see around them,” Ms McCann told news.com.au.She fears that implementing strict, punitive measures against parents without an accompanying safety net could backfire catastrophically for the child at home.“That is why I worry that charging their parents, without proper child-safety intervention, could place some of those children at even greater risk behind closed doors,” she said. “Parents must be held responsible where appropriate, but punishment alone will not break the cycle.”The Malaysian model is designed to provide a faster, child-friendly alternative to standard criminal courts, allowing victims to bypass slow school administrative processes and lodge complaints directly online. However, it relies heavily on restorative and financial pressure placed directly on the perpetrator’s family.Ms McCann points out a glaring disparity: if a developing nation can pass sweeping federal laws to protect its nine million children, Australia, with vastly more economic wealth, has no excuse for its fragmented, state-by-state approach to school safety.But rather than copying the purely punitive aspects of the Malaysian system, she argues Australia has the resources to perfect it by linking justice with child protection in honour of children like Atreyu, ensuring no other family has to endure the same heartbreak. “Malaysia should be commended for recognising the seriousness of bullying, particularly with fewer financial resources than Australia,” Ms McCann said.“But Australia has the capacity to create a far more comprehensive system, one that protects victims, holds schools accountable, intervenes with children displaying harmful behaviour, and brings child protection services in when the home environment may be contributing to it.”Ms McCans’s federal petition is now officially live. You can view and sign the national reform proposal here.