Bullying is an increasing problem in schools across the country. Approximately 160,000 kids countrywide skip school every day in fear of being attacked or bullied by other students.
There are three main types of bullying: physical, verbal and cyber. Though physical and verbal bullying has been a problem with kids for years, cyber bullying is increasing with this generation. “It’s both. In some ways it’s growing (online/cyber) and also decreasing (physical),” said junior Tanner Judge.
Physical bullying occurs when one person tries to physically dominate the other. This can include kicking, shoving and punching.
“I witnessed somebody get pushed down the stairs,” says junior Julia Mason. “I felt terrible and wanted to help them out in some way.”
Verbal is any form of bullying that uses language. The bully will tease, name call, and even intentionally use sarcasm to tear down their victim’s self-esteem.
Social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, have given kids the advantage of picking on others from behind a computer screen. This gives them a sense of security since they are not face-to-face with the kid they are picking on. Though some may argue that the topic gets plenty of publicity, others disagree.
“I think sometimes it gets too much publicity with politics, but it’s never the right kind,” said junior Chloe Richey. “The only time you ever really hear about bullying in the news is when a kid commits suicide from it, which never brings enough light to the issue.”
According to a study done by Yale University, children that are bullied are two to nine times more likely to attempt suicide, and that bullying is related to half of suicides in young people.
Ninety percent of fourth through eighth graders said that they have been victims of bullying (MBNBD.org). This includes children as young as seven years old being subjected to such conditions.
“It definitely happens more in middle school,” said Matt Hirschberg. “Kids are really immature and have low self confidence.”
Anna Anderson is the News Editor for The Spartan Speaks.
