Identifying, Intervening, Surviving, and Preventing Bullying – A Series: Bullying 101 – The Basics

How is Bullying defined?

Bullying is defined as repeated, negative and hostile or aggressive behavior by one or more students with a real or perceived imbalance of power over another student for an extended period of time.

What are the different types of Bullying?

• Physical
• Verbal
• Social isolation
• Relational aggression
• Using threats to force compliance
• Cyberbullying

What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is threatening, harassing or aggressive behavior by one or more youth or teens toward another using digital technology such as the Internet or cell phone. Unlike bullying, cyberbullying does not have to be a repeated behavior nor does the behavior need to take place between persons of unequal power. 

Cyberbullying can include:

• Spreading rumors or posting false information
• Sending harassing messages
• Posting compromising or manipulated images
• Persuading others to join in cyberbullying the victim
• Posting the victim's private information
• Bullying others while impersonating the victim

Is Bullying really that bad?

Bullying has become a problem with enormous impact in the US.

• 13 million students will be bullied in the US this year
• 160,000 students miss school daily for fear of being bullied
• 1 out of 4 children are bullied (US Dept. of Justice)
• Every 7 minutes a child is bullied on a playground
• Between 50% and 77% of students report having been bullied
•  Of teachers, 25% see nothing wrong with bullying and consequently intervene in only 4% of bullying incidents
• 85% of bullying is not responded to appropriately or at all

Cyberbullying has also become a tremendous problem. Whereas victims of bullying can escape the torment, at least for several hours each day, those who are victims of cyberbullying can be targeted by their attackers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  A peer one day can become a predator the next day with terrible and tragic consequences.

• 1 out of 5 children is or will be cyberbullied (US Dept. of Justice)
• 43% of teens, ages 13 to 17, have experienced cyberbullying in the past year
• 1 million children were cyberbullied on Facebook during the past year

What is the impact of Bullying?

•       Victims often suffer academically and from long term psychological effects

•       Bullies often go on to commit crimes – former bullies have a 4-fold increase in criminal behavior by age 24

•       Both victims and bullies may later become depressed or even become suicidal

•       After interviewing 41 school shooters in 37 incidents, the Secret Service found that 2/3 had been bullied and their attacks were motivated by a will to seek revenge

The first step in changing this epidemic of social torment is understanding the true depth of its impact on our children. Hopefully this post helped you better understand the reality of bullying. Stay tuned for our next few posts in this series, which will explain more about the types of bullying and how they differ in younger versus older grades.  We will also share more about cyberbullying including signs a child might be a victim, why some children are targeted and others are not, and why children bully.  It’s up to us to act… stay tuned and learn how!

Author: Stacy Pendarvis, MSW, MA – Consulting Trainer and Prevention Specialist