Bullying has been around for many years. We have seen bullying in many different places and have heard about it in the news as well. In recent years, it has become even more prevalent in children and teens. Not only are they being bullied in school, but they are also being victims of cyberbullying because the use of social media is very common for children and teens. Being bullied has many negative effects and it can lead to not only mental problems, but also physical problems which at times may not be noticeable. Children and teens all deal with being bullied in many ways but unfortunately, many children and teens don’t speak out about being bullied and they don’t get the help they deserve in order to deal with the bullying. Many steps have been taken in order to help with those who are experiencing bullying/cyberbullying. Preventing bullying has become a big issue not only in the classrooms, but also nationwide. Being able to define bullying and seeing the effects it has on kids is key to knowing what prevention tools are needed to help the children and teens who are victims of bullying.
Bullying is defined as “Any unwanted aggressive behavior by another youth or group of youths who are not siblings or current dating partners that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated. Bullying may inflict harm or distress on the targeted youth including physical, psychological, social, or educational harm.”(Maiuro, 2015, p.32) Bullying is widespread in the United States. The types of bullying can be different in many places, but it does affect all those involved. It affects those who are the bully, those who are the victims of bullying and then it affects those who witness the bullying.
What makes someone a target of being bullied? No single factor puts a child at risk of being bullied or bullying others. Some factors that do put children at risk of being bullied are, children who are different from their peers such as being overweight or underweight, those who wear glasses or different clothing, those who can’t defend themselves, those who are depressed or anxious, or those who are less popular and don’t have as many friends (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). Between 1 in 4 U.S. students say they have been bullied at school. Bullying increases during the transition from elementary to middle school as students become more engaged in being a part of a social status. As you go into middle school, you start to see cliques being formed. Those who don’t fit into a specific clique, can be at risk of being bullied than those who are part of the popular cliques. The 2017 School Crime Supplement (National Center for Education Statistics and bureau of justice) indicates that, nationwide, about 20% of students ages 12-18 experienced bullying. Many times, being a victim of bullying can have many different negative effects on a person. Knowing these effects can be very helpful with getting the help a child or teen needs.
There are three types of bullying, verbal, social, and physical bullying. Each victim of bullying doesn’t always deal with the same effects. The effects of bullying are not just physical, but they are also mental. Usually physical effects of bullying are noticeable right away. Bullying can affect someone’s sleep and eating factors. Some somatic problems caused by bullying can range from headaches, bedwetting to stomach pain (Dekker, 2013.) Children become less involved in school and have a decrease in their grades because they aren’t showing up to school or being active in school. Although one may think the physical bullying hurts more, words stay with someone forever. This can lead to those mental effects one suffers from bullying.
Children and teens who are victims of bullying are more likely to have higher levels of depression than those who aren’t bullied. They often times experience sadness and loneliness a lot more than those who don’t experience bullying. When this happens, children tend to isolate themselves and become very quiet. Kids who are usually very outspoken no longer feel the need to want to talk to anyone anymore. They don’t want to be social in school or in other extracurricular activities. Many times, children and teens don’t speak out about being bullied. Not getting the help they need to deal with being bullied can lead to these kids turning to suicide as their way out. Bullying alone isn’t the reason why kids commit suicide, but it is a huge factor as to why kids ultimately do commit suicide. Kids should never feel like they don’t have a way out. We need to help in as many ways as we can, not just in school but also at home
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