- 1 in 3 U.S. children report being bullied at school (Alexander & Krans, 2016).
- According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2016):
- 23% of females reported being bullied at school vs 19% of males
- The most frequently reported reasons for being bullied are physical appearance, race/ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, and sexual orientation
- A study done by Whitney, Smith, & Thompson (1994) found that 66% of special needs children reported being bullied at school compared to 25% of mainstream children.
Research conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics (2016) on students ages 12-18 found that:
- 13% were made fun of, called names, or insulted
- 12% were the subject of rumors
- 5% were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on
- 5% were purposely excluded from activities
These students reported that bullying occurred in the following places:
- the school hallway or stairwell (42%)
- inside the classroom (34%)
- in the cafeteria (22%)
- outside on school grounds (19%)
- on the school bus (10%)
- in the bathroom or locker room (9%)
- According to Larrivee (2009), the prevalence of bullying has increased greatly since the 1980s and 1990s because earlier studies defined bullying as only a physical act. Since the definition has broadened, the issue has been magnified.
- As technology and social media have taken off in recent years, cyber-bullying has become a serious issue. Patchin & Hinduja (2015) found that the percentage of students who have been cyber-bullied has increased dramatically, from 18% in 2007 to 34% in 2016.
- According to the Center for Disease Control (2014), victims of bullying are at increased risk for poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression.
- Gini & Pozzoli (2013) found that students who experience bullying are twice as likely as non-bullied peers to experience negative health effects such as headaches and stomachaches.
- Wolpert (2010) found that victims of bullying had an average of 1.5 points lower on their grade point average than non-victims.
- A study by Langman (2014) found that nearly half of school shooters were victims of bullying.