Bullying is getting out of control.
You see them in the halls, you see them in the classroom, but do you ever sit down and ask yourself, what goes on behind those doors? What goes on within those screens they stare at all day? Bullying, in whatever form it takes, must always be taken seriously. When you look at the numbers, the amount of bullying that happens in our schools and online is staggering. According to STOPbullying.gov 20% of students in school get bullied on a regular basis. Anyone who says “kids will be kids,” just doesn’t understand the problem. Young people have been damaged for life and some have taken their own lives as the direct result of being bullied by their peers. Many students are often outraged when they see kids get bullied in the hallways whether it be about their shoes or how they did their hair that day and no one is doing anything about it.
A 2019 study from the National Bullying Prevention center (NBPC) finds that one out of every five students report being bullied it also states that the most common places of bullying occur in the hallway, stairwell, in a classroom, the cafeteria, outside, school grounds, online, by text, in the bathroom, locker room, and on the school bus.
According to the national center for education Statistics (NCES) as of january 20th 2022, In the United States Each day, there are approximately 12 youth suicides. Every 2 hours and 11 minutes, a person under the age of 25 commits suicides, a little over 14% of students in high school consider suicide and approximately 7% of them attempt suicide. Students that are bullied are around two to nine times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims. A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying.
Both cyberbullying and verbal bullying are significant concerns. It can have a major impact on a young person’s mental health. Young adults who are the victims of cyberbullying are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and academic difficulties. Students who reported being bullied stated it had an impact on how other students treated them.
Bullying has a huge impact on young people’s lives and it needs to stop before it gets out of hand. Teachers need to start handling this situation more seriously, students feel that when they address the issue with a trusted adult the problem is never solved. Students also feel that their feelings are taken into consideration at all on this topic.
Sources
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019054.pdf
Bullying Statistics – National Bullying Prevention Center (pacer.org)
EDITORIAL: Bullying must be taken seriously | Editorials | valdostadailytimes.com
The Mental Health Impact of Bullying on Kids and Teens | McLean Hospital
