Bullying

by Tristan Langford, Junior

Fall 2016

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior . Bullying is a serious problem in high school for some kids like the nerds and kids considered unpopular, or people that are “different” in the bully’s eyes, but they are still human beings. You could be a bully, a victim, or a witness; either way it's not cool, and it doesn't make you any cooler when you bully someone. There are four types of bullying: physical, verbal, emotional, and cyberbullying. According to Davis and Nixon, “People are bullied based on looks , body shape, and because of their race.”

According to National Center for educational statistics in 2015, only one in four students, reported being bullied during the school year . Sixty four percent of students that got bullied did not report it. Did you know that more than half of bullying situations stop when a peer steps in and puts a stop to it? Anti bullying campaigns only decreased bullying by 25%. Students who get bullied deal with depression, anxiety, and don’t get enough sleep. Students who engage in bullying behavior are at increased risk for academic problems, substance use, and violent behavior later in adolescence and adulthood. “Students who are both targets of bullying and engage in bullying behavior are at greater risk for both mental health and behavior problems than students who only bully or are only bullied,” Center for Disease Control, 2015. Did you know that students who get bullied are twice as likely to experience negative health effects like headaches and stomachaches, compared to students who don’t get bullied?

Cyber bullying was reported by 14.8% of students. Most Teens who reported being cyberbullied also were being bullied offline as well. In fact, most students have observed students perceived as overweight being called names or getting teased during physical activities.

“Mostly all students who identify as LGBTQ were bullied in the last year based on their sexual orientation. Most of those students also felt unsafe because of their sexuality, and nearly half because of their gender expression. LGBTQ students miss at least one entire day of school in the past month because they feel unsafe or uncomfortable,” according to National School Climate Survey, 2011.

If you or someone you know is getting bullied here is what you could do according to Disney Bullying Prevention Awareness :

Tell someone- If you are being bullied tell an adult right away if you are being hurt or harmed, it's a big deal, it's not tattling, you have the right to tell.

Don’t fight- If you ever feel like fighting back, don’t! Trying to get even with someone is never a good idea, and the bully could be much worse, and adults might see you as the problem.

You are not alone- A lot of kids are bullied. It may feel like no one cares or that no one can help, but there are people who care. Know that you can reach out for help. You don't have to go through it alone.

If you see bullying- Ask the kid who is bullying to stop. Sometimes people do not realize what they’re doing is hurting someone else.

Don’t join in- someone who bullies often likes an audience, if you ignore it, it shows them bullying is not cool.

“ASK OTHERS TO STAND AGAINST BULLYING AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE!”