Photo by M. on Unsplash
“Why is this important? Bullying doesn’t even happen anymore!” These were the words that came out of my peers’ mouths after an anti-bullying event took place in our school. It is very important to know that bullying still happens. Even if you don’t see it, it doesn’t mean it’s not there. As many things are changing in this world, so are the behaviors and the overall effects of bullying on young people today.
“Why is this important? Bullying doesn’t even happen anymore!”
Nearly a third of middle school students have been bullied in the classroom, according to a What to Become study. Meanwhile, over 70% of school staff have witnessed bullying and over 70 percent of LGBTQ students experienced verbal bullying because of their sexual orientation. Below I share more about the effects of bullying and how to prevent it from occurring in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month.
Bullying Is Still Relevant
Many of my peers in school say that “Bullying doesn’t happen anymore!” or that “It’s not relevant!” But just because we don’t see bullying in person doesn’t mean it’s not happening. I have witnessed bullying in my classroom, yet no one did anything because they thought those people were just trying to be funny.
Bullying happens in all shapes and forms, which is why bullying awareness is so vital. Now in 2022, you can see bullying much more online, which is often referred to as hate comments, trolling or negative energy. This commonly occurs on social media, especially in the comment section of a video, picture or other post. Of all the social networks, kids on YouTube are the most likely to be cyberbullied at 79 percent, according to Security.org. That’s followed by Snapchat at 69 percent, TikTok at 64 percent and Facebook at 49 percent.
Hate comments are a little more tricky to control than bullying in person. What people say is beyond your control. This is why many people on social media or influencers turn off their comment section to not receive any “hate.”
The Effects of Bullying
Bullying and cyberbullying can have a serious impact on your mental state. The effects of bullying include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, thoughts of suicide and social isolation.
Suicide Rates
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among teens. Cyberbullying has become more common with young people now having constant access to the internet. Plus, they are often more likely to say rude things knowing there are fewer direct consequences. Victims of cyberbullying are twice as likely to experience suicidal thoughts in 2022, according to Stopbullying.gov.
Suicide rates have only increased since 2017 and will only continue unless teens and young kids have the support they need like counselors and teachers and other outside support.
Depression and Anxiety Rates
Depression and anxiety rates are the most common effects of bullying. According to Healthline, about 31% of children who experienced bullying had psychiatric problems that required treatment. They also had the highest rates of depression and anxiety disorders.
People who were bullied at a young age can develop mental health problems as they get older due to trauma related to bullying. This can also worsen if they don’t know what depression and anxiety are. That’s why parents, teachers, and trusted adults are so vital in their lives.
Eating Disorder and Social Isolation Rates
Bullying, whether in person or online, is often focused on physical appearance. For example, your weight might be called “too skinny” or “too big.” These comments can be very hurtful to a young person and affects their self-esteem and confidence. As a result, they may eat less or more and even learn not to like their own body.
This is something that I have experienced myself. I was always teased about being too skinny. After that I developed low self-esteem, no self-love for myself or my body, and even had eating disorders and body dysmorphia. It took me three years to gain my confidence back. For some people, they don’t gain it back at all.
Bullying can lead to low self-esteem, social isolation and poor body image. It has also been shown to directly contribute to developing eating disorders. In fact, 65 percent of people with eating disorders say bullying contributed to their condition, notes the National Eating Disorder Association.
What You Can Do to Stop Bullying
It’s also very important to understand what you can do when you see cyberbullying in action. If you ever witness someone being bullied in person, follow these following steps.
- Watch how the person is taking these “jokes.” Do they look uncomfortable? Sad? Or trying to laugh with them?
- If they do look this way, then wait until you are alone with the person and ask if they are okay. Ask them, Did you take what they said to heart? Even if they didn’t look sad, it’s still important to ask just in case even if the person wasn’t trying to hurt their feelings.
- Then pull the other person that was making the jokes to the side and tell them to joke about something else.
- If the bullying took place in a classroom, ask to talk to the teacher privately and tell them about what you saw. Also let them know to tell that person something instead of letting them continue.
Bullying is still relevant both in person and online. It is important for everyone to be aware of how it is changing and the next steps they can take to help another. For more information on cyberbullying, click here.
Community Series – Mental Health Book Club: What Happened to You? by Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey
