Parentinglogy.com – For years, bullying has become one of the biggest concerns among kids and teenagers. Some might consider it’s a part of kids’ life but it never means that bullying in schools or neighborhoods is normal and should be allowed.
Bullying plays a big role in triggering mental issues in children. In severer cases, bullying may lead to suicide as it’s distressing and embarrassing. Scroll on to get to know more about bullying in schools, the types, facts, problem-solve, and how to deal with it.
Types of Bullying in School
In reality, bullying is a form of violence that often happens in different settings, including at school.
A bully commonly shows aggressive and impulsive behavior toward someone who’s considered weaker. In other words, power imbalance becomes the most obvious aspect of every bullying.
In order to better understand how to stop the chain and prevent more cases, it’s necessary to get to know the types of bullying in a school setting. Here are several types of bullying in schools.
1. Physical Bullying
This type of bullying is identical to physical aggression from the bully to the victim.
As the most obvious form of bullying, the bully is typically dominant so there’s an unequal balance of power in this situation. This type is more likely to occur among boys than girls.
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The most common examples of physical bullying include slapping, punching, shoving, kicking, hitting, and other physical aggression.
Parents, teachers, and school staffs are easier to identify this form of bullying so it can be handled immediately.
2. Verbal Bullying
Verbal bullying, however, is more difficult to identify as the bully attacks her victim when parents, teachers, or adults aren’t around.
It commonly uses statements, words, or name-calling to control a victim and it’s more likely to occur among girls than boys.
Verbal bullies tend to insult to hurt other people based on the way they act, look, or behave.
Children with special needs often become verbal bullies ’ targets. As this type of bullying in schools is rather difficult to identify, it can lead to serious mental issues especially if the victim doesn’t tell the truth.
3. Relational Aggression
Among other types of bullying in school settings, relational aggression is the most difficult to notice.
This is more like emotional bullying and social manipulation where children and teens try to sabotage their friends’ social standing. It’s often performed by spreading rumors or breaking confidence.
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This kind of bullying is more often to occur among girls, especially from fifth to eighth grade. The bullies are often known as mean girls.
The victims are often teased, insulted, and ignored in their groups. Despite it often happening in middle school, relational aggression sometimes occurs in workplaces.
4. Cyberbullying in Schools
The massive use of the internet creates a new type of bullying known as cyberbullying.
This type of bullying in schools includes making online threats, posting embarrassing or hurtful images, or sending abusive texts.
Despite cyberbullying leaving digital tracks, adults need more effort to notice it.
In reality, cyberbullies aren’t always tough or powerful. In many cases, they bully the victims anonymously so that they can’t be tracked.
They often say bad things they don’t have the courage to say directly. However, cyberbullying can lead to serious mental problems.
Facts and Statistics about Bullying in Schools
It’s not clear when bullying in schools started. But there are some interesting facts that show bullying has been around for a while.
It’s more like a tradition in some schools so that the teachers, administrators, and even students consider it as a part of growing up.
However, getting to know some facts and statistics about bullying helps adults figure out how to deal with bullying in schools.
Here’re interesting facts and statistics about harassment and bullying in schools.
- At least 21 percent of adolescents are being bullied years before.
- Around 70.6 percent of teenagers are bystanders. That means they witness the bullying event or play important role in bullying.
- Based on a study in 2010, around 25 percent of boys and 20 percent of girls were bullied or bullied by their peers or both.
- The same study also shows that 90 percent of third to fifth graders felt sorry for the victims but they don’t take action to stop bullying in schools.
- According to a study in 2009, no less than 20.8 percent of teens in the US received physical bullying and 53.6 percent received verbal bullying.
- In the same study, around 51.4 percent of tweens and teens experienced social bullying and 13.6 percent of them were being cyberbullied at least once in two months.
- In many cases, victims of cyberbullying don’t report their affliction. Instead, they are 8 times more likely to bring a weapon to school.
Sign of Bullied Student or Child
Some types of bullying in schools might be difficult to identify, let’s say cyber or relational bullying.
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Although the bullied students don’t report their victimization, they might show some signs. Parents and teachers must be aware of these signs so that they can take the right action to help the children.
Here are some signs if your child is bullied by others:
1. Feel Reluctant to Go to School
School is the last place the bullied child wants to visit because it’s a spot for bullying. When your child shows reluctance to go to school, there could be something wrong in school.
In adolescents, the student might skip school to avoid bullying. Thus, you might need to check the child’s attendance.
2. Frequent stomachaches and headaches
When your child complains of stomachaches and headaches regularly, it might be an early sign of bullying in schools.
These symptoms can be either physical manifestations of their anxiety and stress or the most reasonable excuse to skip school and stay home.
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Preventing meeting the bully is considered the easiest way to avoid bullying.
If you smell something suspicious with the ailments, encourage your child to tell a little thing they’ve been keeping for themselves.
3. Unexplainable Injuries
Your teen boy comes home with bruises or injuries on his face or other parts of the body?
This is one of the most common signs of bullying, especially physical bullying. When parents ask about where he gets all of it, he tends to remain silent or says other things.
Parents who don’t get convincing explanations about the bruises, injuries, and wounds need to be aware of bullying. Contact the school administrator or teacher and ask if the child behaves differently at school.
4. Lost or Destroyed Things
Another sign of bullying in schools according to some articles is lost clothing or destroyed belongings like electronics, books, or jewelry.
The bully might intentionally do this to show his power or take control over the victim.
If your child asks you to buy new books, bags, or other stuff repeatedly, it might be a sign of bullying. Don’t bother to ask because most bullied students tend to cover it.
5. Withdrawal from Devices
If bullying happens in the cyber world, you might notice the child withdraw from devices.
But they don’t expect you to take the devices from them either. The kids are reluctant to tell parents or adults about cyberbullying because they’re afraid the phone will be taken away.
Some social media accounts may have a policy about cyberbullying but sometimes it’s unnoticeable.
If you want to help, tell the kid that you’re not going to take the device away. Encourage them to tell the truth so that you can offer solutions.
6. Less Interactive with the Family
There could be something wrong when your child isn’t as talkative as usual. Bullying in schools may lead to withdrawal, even in the family setting.
When your child goes straight to her room after school or she refuses to mingle with parents and siblings, there could be something to look out for
Most parents might push the kids to be the normal version of themselves without trying to understand what possibly happens with them.
So, it might be helpful to encourage them to share so that you can figure out what’s bothering their mind.
7. Troubled Sleep
Anxiety and stress might cause a sleeping disorder. A bullied child might have difficulty falling asleep.
If you find them look more tired in the morning or seem worn out, it could be a sign that they have troubled sleep. If not treated properly, this may lead to depression and severer issues.
What We Can Do to Stop Bullying in Schools?
Bullying in schools has to be stopped. It can’t be denied that schools throughout the country attempt to stop and prevent bullying but it remains occurs at different levels.
How to stop bullying? What kind of methods or approaches work to make school a safe place for every kid?
Many schools spend pretty pennies to invite a speaker who talks about bullying. However, this program doesn’t work as the bully can’t be changed overnight or in a seminar session.
The most effective method to stop bullying is to help the victim deal with the situation.
Here are some possible ways to stop or at least reduce bullying among children:
- Walk Away
Walking away and ignoring the bully is one of the best strategies to reduce bullying. The bully tends to be attracted to pick on kids who are responsive.
If you’re not talking back or crying in front of the bully, he’ll think that being teased or insulted isn’t a big deal to you.
In the case of cyberbullying, the children can ignore the social media account and log off the site.
No need to respond to messages or simply block the bully. It’s not necessary to post anything as a response to the hurtful postings. Based on some essays, ignoring helps reduce bullying by 20 percent.
- Speak It Up
Speaking it up is another strategy to stop bullying in schools. You can defend and stand up for yourself at the moment you’re bullied.
Ask why the bully picks on you and become a mean person. In fact, this strategy turns the table on the bully.
The bully doesn’t like to be embarrassed and labeled as a bad person, especially in front of their peers.
But if you don’t have the courage to talk it out, you might ask help from teachers or parents to mediate conversations. Bystanders can also play a huge role in stopping bullying.
- Pretend to Be Bored
Being picked can hurt you but showing your true feeling will only spur the bully. That’s exactly what they want from you.
So, you might need to try to act bored and see how they react. Pretending to be bored is considered an effective way to stop bullying.
When the victim acts bored, the bully doesn’t get the reaction he wants. All the insults will make them feel silly so they try to find someone else who shows the reaction they expect.
But in a few cases, it spurs the bully to do something worse in return for the embarrassment he gets. Be cautious at the moment.
- Find Help
Bullying in schools can be overwhelming for kids. If you can’t handle it on your own, it’s necessary to find help from adults.
Seeking help doesn’t mean that you’re weak or powerless but it is a strategy to stop bullying. The presence of adults can handle the situation or make it less intense.
However, some kids don’t have the courage to find help. They’re afraid to be picked more intensely if the bully knows that they try to find help.
That’s why kids need to be encouraged that help-seeking behavior isn’t always negative.
- Understand the Reason behind Bullying
Another way to deal with bullying is to understand the reason why kids bully their peers. In many cases, the bully feels unspeakable pain, and picking on others is considered the best way to make them feel better.
They might be bullied in other settings so they try to show power at school.
All in all, bullying in schools as a form of youth violence must be fought. Despite some people considering it’s common among children and teenagers, there’s no space for any type of bullying in any place.
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Types of Bullying in School
Bullying in schools can take different forms. Here are some common types:
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Physical Bullying: This type of bullying involves physical aggression, such as slapping, punching, shoving, kicking, and hitting. It often occurs when there is a power imbalance between the bully and the victim. Physical bullying is more likely to occur among boys than girls [[1]].
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Verbal Bullying: Verbal bullying involves using words, statements, or name-calling to control and hurt the victim. It can be difficult to identify as it often happens when adults are not present. Verbal bullying is more common among girls than boys [[2]].
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Relational Aggression: Relational aggression is a form of emotional bullying and social manipulation. It involves sabotaging social standing, spreading rumors, or breaking confidence. This type of bullying is often seen among girls, especially in middle school [[3]].
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Cyberbullying: With the rise of the internet, cyberbullying has become a significant concern. It includes making online threats, posting hurtful images, or sending abusive texts. Cyberbullying can be anonymous, making it harder to track the bullies. It can have serious mental health consequences [[4]].
Facts and Statistics about Bullying in Schools
Understanding the facts and statistics about bullying can help adults address the issue effectively. Here are some interesting findings:
- Approximately 21 percent of adolescents have experienced bullying at some point [[5]].
- Around 70.6 percent of teenagers are bystanders who witness bullying incidents or play a role in bullying [[6]].
- In a study conducted in 2010, it was found that about 25 percent of boys and 20 percent of girls had been bullied or had bullied others [[7]].
- Another study in 2009 revealed that 20.8 percent of teens in the US experienced physical bullying, 53.6 percent experienced verbal bullying, and 51.4 percent experienced social bullying [[8]].
- Cyberbullying is also prevalent, with 13.6 percent of tweens and teens being cyberbullied at least once in two months [[8]].
- Unfortunately, many victims of cyberbullying do not report their affliction and are 8 times more likely to bring a weapon to school [[8]].
Signs of a Bullied Student or Child
Identifying signs of bullying in schools can help parents and teachers intervene and support the child. Here are some signs to look out for:
- Reluctance to go to school: If a child shows reluctance or tries to avoid going to school, it could be a sign that they are being bullied [[9]].
- Frequent stomachaches and headaches: Regular complaints of stomachaches and headaches may indicate stress and anxiety caused by bullying [[9]].
- Unexplainable injuries: Bruises or injuries that the child cannot explain may be a sign of physical bullying [[9]].
- Lost or destroyed belongings: If a child repeatedly loses or has their belongings destroyed, it could be a result of bullying [[9]].
- Withdrawal from devices: If a child suddenly becomes less engaged with their devices, it may be a sign of cyberbullying [[9]].
- Less interactive with the family: A bullied child may become withdrawn and less talkative, even within the family setting [[9]].
- Troubled sleep: Bullying can cause anxiety and stress, leading to sleep disturbances [[9]].
Strategies to Stop Bullying in Schools
Stopping bullying requires a multi-faceted approach involving the entire school community. Here are some strategies that can be effective:
- Walk Away: Encouraging children to walk away and ignore the bully can reduce the likelihood of further bullying. Bullies often target those who respond or show distress [[10]].
- Speak It Up: Empowering children to speak up for themselves and ask the bully why they are targeting them can shift the power dynamics. Seeking help from teachers, parents, or bystanders can also be effective [[10]].
- Pretend to Be Bored: Acting bored and uninterested can take away the satisfaction the bully seeks from their actions. However, caution should be exercised as this strategy may not work in all cases [[10]].
- Find Help: Encouraging children to seek help from trusted adults can provide support and intervention. Adults can help handle the situation or make it less intense [[10]].
- Understand the Reason behind Bullying: Understanding the underlying reasons why bullies target others can help address the root causes. Some bullies may be dealing with their own pain and insecurities [[10]].
It's important to note that these strategies may not work in every situation, and a comprehensive approach involving education, awareness, and a supportive environment is crucial to effectively address bullying in schools.
I hope this information helps you understand the different types of bullying, the signs to look out for, and strategies to address and prevent bullying in schools. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!
