A school is where a child can learn things like education, values, and manners. They explore a new world when taking the first step into school. They make new friends with whom they can play and share things. But when this beautiful place becomes unsafe for a child, how would parents feel? In this article, you will read about how bullying is a problem in schools and the impact of bullying on students, which is psychically/psychologically concerned with the safety of the children.
Is Bullying an Issue or Fun
Bullying someone can be enjoyable for bullies, but it is not fun for the victim. A bully intends to repeatedly hurt someone physically or psychologically through hurtful words or behavior. Boys often face physical bullying, while girls deal more with emotional bullying.
Bullying someone is not fun; it can adversely affect their mental health or academic performance, leading to potential consequences such as changing schools, suicidal thoughts, experiencing severe physical harm from bullies, or even death.
The psychology Behind a Bully
Bullies seek power over others and derive satisfaction from causing harm. Many come from affluent backgrounds and target those perceived as weaker or different, such as those from lower socioeconomic statuses or with disabilities.
Consequences Of Bullying on Child
Bullying by a person or cyberbullying both can affect the child’s mental health. A child who is bullied at school can stop attending classes and avoid meeting friends or being isolated at home. In some cases, if he cannot share his problem with his parents or any friend, he can attempt suicide because of depression and fear.
 School Bullying Statics in the USA
School bullying cases are rising day by day. According to research on stopbullying.gov, approximately 20% of kids aged 12-18 across the country have been bullied. 19% of students in high school grades 9-12, were bullied on school grounds. Bullying often happened in places like hallways (43.4%), classrooms (42.1%), and cafeterias (26.8%). Only 15.3% faced bullying online or through texts. However, statistics show that only 46% of bullied kids complain or talk to a teacher or senior at school about it.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed that about 20% of high school students reported being bullied at school between 2011 and 2020, decreasing to 15% in 2021. Over the same period, the percentage of teens experiencing cyberbullying remained relatively unchanged.
This data shows that several students reported being bullied on school grounds and it is a concerning point of increasing bullying cases.
 Bullying Incidents in the USA
- A 13-year-old boy, Diego Stolz died after an incident occurred at Landmark Middle School, where Diego was sucker-punched by one student, causing him to hit his head on a concrete pillar. Another student punched him while he was on the ground. Video footage released by the family’s attorneys showed Diego standing with his hands down, indicating he didn’t want to fight. Despite this, he was attacked by both students, leading to his tragic death nine days later.
- A Missouri teenage girl was hospitalized in a critical condition of head injury when another 15-year-old girl banged her head into the ground. That incident happened near Hazelwood East High School on 8th April 2024. This incident was recorded in a video and posted on social media. Many people watched this video. The police arrested the girl who was responsible for this incident.
-  Justin Brooks, a 14-year-old died after being stabbed near his Missouri middle school, Jennings Junior High. The event occurred on Tuesday, March 12, at approximately 3:05 p.m. near the school. He was taken to hospital, but he could not survive because of a serious injury. Brooks lived around two blocks from where the stabbing took place.
These incidents highlight the severity of bullying. These incidents underscore the urgent need for effective anti-bullying policies and measures to ensure the safety of all students.
Conclusion
Bullying is a big problem in many schools. It’s an issue because of the serious impact it can have on victims. Bullies often pick on kids they see as easier targets. But why is bullying such a big problem? Because it can really mess people up mentally and emotionally if the bullying issues continue unchecked.
For little kids dealing with the problem of bullying in schools, tell a grown-up if someone’s bullying you. But for teenagers, how to handle the bullying problem in schools depends. If the bully might get physical and hurt you, definitely tell an adult right away. Some teens have been seriously injured or even killed from severe bullying issues that kept escalating because no one spoke up about the problem.
If it’s not physical bullying, here are some tips to try first:
- Walk away and ignore them. Bullies want a big reaction, so don’t give it to them. Hold your head high and act like their bullying behavior doesn’t matter.
- Stay calm. Bullies pick on others to make them angry and show they can control feelings. If you can’t walk away, use jokes or humor instead of blowing up.
- No fighting or hitting back. That could get you in trouble too and makes the bullying issue worse.
- Practice being confident ahead of time by pretending how you’d calmly handle it. Focus on controlling yourself, not them.
- Talk to a friend or another trusted adult like a counsellor. Getting the bullying problem off your chest helps, and they can back you up.
Bullying is everyone’s problem because it can have such a negative impact if it keeps happening as kids get older. Stopping it early when bullying issues start is best for both the bullied kid and the bully.
Here are some government websites that are working against bullying. You can search for more information about the anti-bullying policies and laws and other details.
https://www.stopbullying.gov
https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-care/bullying
