Bullying Fast Facts
“Everyone gets bullied.”
“Ignore them and they’ll go away.”
“Boys will be boys.”
These are examples of common words adults say when a fragile child needs help because he or she is a victim of bullying, phrases which are well-meaning but utterly useless. Whether you are an adult or a young person, you have the power to put an end to the belief that bullying is a normal part of childhood.
Since Bullying Awareness Day is tomorrow, October 11, 2022, l decided to learn about the prevalence, intervention and prevention of bullying.
According to stopbullying.gov, 20% of all children ages 12-18 reported being bullied and 46% of these students told an adult about the bullying. Furthermore, the bullying happened in various places on and off school property including: a hallway or staircase (43.4%), the classroom (42.1%), the cafeteria (26.8%), outside on school grounds (21.9%), online or text message (15.3%), the bathroom or locker room (12.1%), somewhere else in the school building (2.1%).
One would think that bullying would be obvious in such public areas occupied by plenty of school staff members, however bullying is often subtle. The types of bullying most reported by students was lies and rumors spread about them (13.4%) followed by name calling, insults and being made fun of (13%); physical bullying, like being pushed or hit, was reported 5.3% of the time (Stopbullying.gov).
Because bullying is often unnoticed by the adults in their lives, victims feel isolated, alone, and hopeless.
Now you may be thinking, “I want to help, but what can I do?” Despite the complex problem bullying presents, there are interventions that anyone can implement. First, become an “upstander.” An upstander is the opposite of a bystander; a bystander observes bullying behavior but doesn’t act while an upstander speaks up to stop the bullying on the spot. As previously mentioned, victims of bullying feel alone; knowing that those around them are watching the bullying but not helping causes the victim to believe no one cares about them and increases isolation. When an upstander speaks up, whether by using humor to deflect the situation or questioning the bully’s behavior in the moment, he or she will be providing the victim much needed support. DO NOT ignore the situation, try to question witnesses in public, or try to “fix” the problem on the spot.
Bullying is not a normal part of growing up, nor does it end with your senior year of high school. Because bullies grow up to become someone’s co-worker or boss, everyone needs to remember that they can help a victim of bullying. Being supportive and showing someone they are not alone will make an impact in a bullying victim’s life.
-Becky