Anti-Bullying: Take Action Now

Article Courtesy of THE WARCRY             

Written by: Ivy Hyatt and Kiara Robinson

Bullying is one of the leading causes of teen death in the United States of America. This is a widespread problem that has escalated over the years. There are different types of bullying other than the traditional school yard bullying.

Since technology has advanced, bullying has transitioned from face-to-face to online. In a poll conducted including twenty-four countries, one in ten parents say that their child has been a victim of cyber bullying.

One million children were harassed, threatened, or subjected to other forms of cyber bullying on the popular social networking site Facebook.com in the past year.

Cyber bullying is not just online; it could be through text messages also. Text bullying is sending mean, untrue, embarrassing, or hurtful messages to or about someone using cell phone text messaging. This form of bullying does not start as you enter high school.

It is starts at an adolescent age. It may start off as a joke, but then quickly progress into a situation that could have been avoided. Bullying through text messaging has become more common in teen girls than in any other cluster.

One estimate shows that nine out of ten teens owns a cell phone. Generally about one out of five teens will become a victim of text bullying.

Physical bullying can be defined as any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the victim. The harassment does not have to be just physical, it can also be verbal. Seventy percent of high school and middle school students experience bullying.

Five to fifteen percent of students are constantly being bullied. Only twenty to forty percent of students actually report being bullied. Students are not only mistreated by their peers.

Teachers can also become bullies. A student being tormented by a teacher could be calling them out in class frequently over nothing or giving the student an unfair grade that they do not deserve simply because the teacher and student do not get along.

If you see bullying happening, do not get yourself into trouble trying to stop it. Make sure that you report it to an adult as soon as possible.

If you believe that someone is being bullied, there are symptoms to look out for such as the victim appearing sad, moody, teary, or depressed.

They also have a loss of interest in school work, begin to do poorly in school, appear anxious, and suffer from low self-esteem. Physical symptoms may include unexplained cuts, scratches, bruises, damaged clothing, books, or other belongings.

If you see someone showing numerous symptoms, it is possible that they are a victim of bullying. There are multiple organizations that are trying to help get rid of bullying for good.

If you wish to help put an end to bullying, you can visit the following web site: www.stopbullying.gov

Please try to help with the fight to stop bullying in any way that you can.