Bullying has been around for a long time. If there was a school, a school yard and kids, there was bullying. Bullying back in the day usually involved name calling and fists. Nowadays bullying has become more sophisticated. With the use of digital technology and social media, bullying has has gone from the playground to the bedroom. As kids all over the United States and abroad are wired in to their computers, cellphones, camera phones, videophones, Ipods, Ipads, whatever high tech gadget is hip at the moment bullies are more apt to victimize their targets through social media outlets such as Facebook Myspace and Twitterr by posting hurtful messages, pictures, videos,texts and tweets. The popular term for bullying by digital mediums is called cyberbullying.
Here are some terms to be familiar with:
Bullying: systematic and ongoing form of verbal or physical abuse or both on the victim by one or more individuals [mobbing]
Harassment is ongoing, unwanted behavior towards the victim: any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture, use of data or computer software, or written, verbal, or physical conduct directed against the victim
Verbal Bullying
Teasing
Social Exclusion
Threatening
Intimidation
Public Humiliation
Sexual or Racial Harassment
Harassment based on Sexual Orientation
Bullying based on Sexual Orientation
Bullying based on Disability
Physical Bullying
Pinching
Hitting
Punching
Hair Pulling
Biting
Theft/Stealing Victims property
Stalking
Destruction of Property
Signs Your Child is Being Bullied
bad dreams
can't sleep
doesn't want to go to school
unexplained injuries
missing personal property unexplained
torn clothing
lethargic/depression/loss of appetite
complains of illness, stomach aches, feeling sick, headaches
Mobbing: group of bullies
Bullycide: suicide due to bullying
Sexting: combination of sex and texting; sending sexually explicit photos electronically through cell
phones
information provided by Florida Statute Section 1006.147 and StopBullying.Gov
According to studies from 2010:
Physical: hitting, kicking, pinching, punching, scratching, spitting or any other form of physical attack, or damage or theft of someone else’s belongings
Verbal: name calling, insulting, making racist, sexist or homophobic jokes, remarks or teasing, using sexually suggestive or abusive language, offensive remarks
Indirect: spreading nasty stories about someone, exclusion from social groups, being made the subject of malicious rumours, sending abusive mail, and email and text messages (cyberbullying)
Cyberbullying: Bullying through text message, picture/video clip, phone call bullying, email, chat room, instant messaging or websites/social networking (e.g. MySpace, YouTube and Facebook)
According to studies from 2010:
- It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students, according to the National Education Association.
- American schools harbor approximately 2.1 million bullies and 2.7 million of their victims, says Dan Olweus of the National School Safety Center.
- 1 in 7 students in grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying.
- 56 percent of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.
- 71 percent of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.
- 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.
- 90 percent of fourth through eighth graders report being victims of bullying.
- According to bullying statistics, 1 out of every 10 students who drops out of school does so because of repeated bullying.
- Among students, homicide perpetrators were more than twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied by peers.
- Bullying statistics say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings.
- 87 percent of students said shootings are motivated by a desire to get back at those who have hurt them.
- 54 percent of students said witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school.
- Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75 percent of school-shooting incidents.
