There’s a lot of information in the media and on the social web about bullying, but it’s hard to get a sense of what the facts are. Is bullying really an epidemic? Is it a growing problem, or simply and old problem gaining new, widespread recognition? How is bullying today different than it used to be?
This interesting piece makes an argument for bullying as an endemic problem defying easy solutions:
The National Crime Prevention Council states, “Although bullying was once considered a rite of passage, parents, educators and community leaders now see bullying as a devastating form of abuse that can have long-term effects on youthful victims, robbing them of self-esteem, isolating them from their peers, causing them to drop out of school and even prompting health problems and suicide.” That said, it is important to acknowledge that our schools and other institutions have been relentless in their efforts to stop bullying.
As a community, though, there is much more that we need to do to eliminate bullying. Getting involved is the first step.
The article offers some compelling statistics courtesy of the U.S. National Institute of Health, SAFE, Tony Bartoli :
- Every 30 minutes a teenager attempts suicide due to bullying.
- About 47 teens are bullied every five minutes. (Tweet this.)
- Victims of cyber bullying show more signs of depression than other bullying victims.
- Cyber bullying is on the rise in dramatic numbers; it is relentless and more frightening if the bully is anonymous.
- There are about 282,000 students who are reportedly attacked in high schools in our nation each month.
- 71 percent of students report bullying as an ongoing problem.
- The leading cause of death among children under the age of 14 is suicide.
- “Bullycide” is the new term for suicide as a result of being bullied.
- Teens in grades 6 through 10 are most likely to be involved in activities related to bullying.
- Almost half of all students fear harassment or bullying in the bathroom.
Source: National Institutes of Health, SAFE, Tony Bartoli
