Also can work well in business. If someone is being a pain, just ignore them and don't give them the publicity they're seeking.
Kids (of a certain age) don't know when to stop. They naturally try to establish a pecking order, and woe to whoever's at the bottom.
Note that I'm not saying you should go punch someone who verbally insults you. I'm specifically talking about responding to violence.
This is after being bullied from the age of 9 to 14, and boy did I hate school. College was a different matter.
For me, it worked fine. (As well as obviously telling teachers and getting them involved if needed).
I absolutely detest parents who tell their kids "If someone hits you, hit them back harder"
Why? Do you believe this makes society more violent?
By the way, I don't agree with the "harder" bit. I.e. I would advocate a more-or-less proportional response in non-life-threating circumstances.
If you hit back, it makes you just as bad, if not worse as the original perpetrator.