Bullying Is The Biggest School Problem For Kids Ages 8-11

Bullying is a major problem, not only in schools, but in today’s society. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, almost one third of public schools report weekly occurrences of bullying (McAdams & Schmidt, 2007). According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, it is the biggest school problem for kids ages 8-11. Bullying even surpasses the use of alcohol, drugs, and premarital sex (Girls who bully, n.d.). According to the Merriam- Webster dictionary, a bully is one that is habitually cruel, insulting, or threatening to others who are weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable(Merriam-Webster, 2017). This allows for actions used as a deliberate desire to hurt someone else or put them under stress. Bullying is the repeated

There are sign that point to a student being bullied. Such signs include a change in appetite of eating habits, loss of interest in school and /or worsening grades, insomnia, frequent stomachaches and other excuses to stay home from school, withdrawal from family activities or activities that they usually take part in in a regular basis, sudden change of moods from happy to sad, change in group of friends or to no friends at all, increased anxiety, and spending more time on the computer than usual (Girls who bully, n.d.). These short term effects can lead to much more severe long effects. Some of these include depression, sleep problems, academic problems, low self-esteem, switching schools, long term emotional scars, property damage to home, and revenge or aggression (Girls who bully, n.d.). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that the most severe long term effect is suicide. This is an effect that is very dangerous and scary to adolescent

Suicide from bullying is also called bullycide. Bullycide is a growing problem among adolescents and has called attention to the problems within the past few years (Sokal, 2012). This is a result of bullying being taken too far and for too long. This is the time when the victim feels that they cannot take the abuse anymore. The Center for Disease Control stated that suicide was the second cause of death for 10-34 year olds. This accounts for 6078 deaths in a year for the age group of 15-24(CDC, 2016). Of these statistics, 16 percent seriously consider suicide, 13 percent create a plan, and 8 percent have made a serious attempt(CDC, 2016). In a study from Yale University, bullied victims are 7-9% more likely to consider suicide and half the suicide result from bullying. There are many forms of bullying and all these form play a role in the detrimental effects of suicide. This is a very scary and serious issued for adolescents today. We need to find ways to help and keep them from feeling like they are alone and being attacked. The form of bullying that leads to more thoughts of suicide is cyber bullying, which is bullying through media sources (Sokal, 2012). This is also a form of bullying that girls like to utilize. It keeps their identity from being known, thus leading them to feel more power and authority over the victim (Sokal, 2012). With most students and adolescents owning a form of computer, smart phone, or using