I think it’s important to understand what cruel means to you.
When I hear the word cruel I associate it with torture or something barbaric. Almost like Disney villains eg. the Evil Queen.
But kids being cruel comes in a range of contexts. Kids can be cruel by being brutally honest. By being savage, by being uncaring, etc.
To answer your question. No. Not all Kids are cruel. Some are very honest. Some are uncaring. Unkind. I strongly disagree with the statement that kids are cruel.
And to make kids less “cruel” we as adults, guardians, and parents, must teach them how to behave. the difference between right and wrong. Also, kids being “cruel” maybe because they are exposed to “cruelty” at home, school, surroundings, etc.
I remember reading “A monster calls” by Patrick Ness and I remember reading how he said, “Humans are not entirely bad or entirely good. Most are a mixture of both”. Something like that.
Found it:
There’s not always a good guy, Conor O’Malley, nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.