Bullying

Bullying:

Is not an accident. It is when someone purposefully says or does something to hurt another person.
Often targets a specific person or group of people.
May become repetitive unless action is taken to break the cycle.
The Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry states there is a direct association between bullying, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Behaviors can include threats, insults, intimidation, racial slurs, sexual harassment, stealing or damaging someone’s property, or treating someone as an outcast.

Did you know?

Every school day, 160,000 students in the U.S. miss school for fear of being bullied.
32% of students ages 12-18 report being bullied each year
Up to 85% of students are bystanders who potentially possess tremendous power in discouraging bullying and empowering victims.
When bystanders aren’t empowered to act against bullying, they may feel fearful, powerlessness, guilt, and even pressured to join in
Bullying is a reality for everyone, whether a perpetrator, victim, or witness.

Bullying is an issue from preschool through high school, usually peaking in frequency during middle school.

Source: Data from Table 11.2 in Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2009; National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (http://nces.ed.gov/).

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is becoming increasingly common, with the National Crime Prevention Council study reporting 40% of teens experience cyberbullying. It is most common among females ages 15-16. The dynamics between victims and perpetrators are very different in this forum. Due to the viral nature of social networks, potential for anonymity, or lack of social cues that may trigger empathy, cyberbullying can be especially viscous.

Examples of cyberbullying include:

Online posting or texting embarrassing pictures, videos, or messages.
Degrading or threatening messages
Posing as the victim in an online forum
Hacking into the victim’s social networks, email, etc.