The Effects of Bullying

There doesn't have to be physical contact between a threat and their target to cause harm. People who are bullied may carry emotion damage without ever being physically harmed, and that's why it's important to become aware of bullying. "It is estimated that about 20% of all kids are bullied in school at any time," according to eSchoolToday. The numbers will only go down once we act on the issue, and know what causes it can spawn.

Photo: Bryan on Scouting

Those who are bullied in school soon lose their interest in education, challenging their future academics and success. In a survey from Cornell, "they found that dropout rates were 29% higher than average in schools with high levels of teasing and bullying." That's too high of a percentage to be comfortable with, showing that schools should put more effort in keeping bullying out, and keeping graduation in. In other cases, the victim may seclude themselves from other people as a result of feeling depressed or anxious. That would only put the victim on medications or therapy rather than fixing the root of the problem at hand, bullying.

So now that we know what could happen, how do we stop it from happening? We can take many approaches to stop bullying, one being to take immediate action. If you see someone being bullied, then do not wait, go and help them. Intervening can stop the escalation and make the bully think twice about acting out. Setting a good example is another way, influencing everyone around you. Make sure that you are not perpetrating bullying behavior, and spread the word that bullying has to stop. Once everyone becomes aware that there is a problem, it is easier to address it.

Photo: Ryan Semenluk

Bullying is just another form of abuse, and it is clear that it causes short and long term consequences. Lingering feelings of anger, depression, self-esteem issues, and even worse self-harming thoughts are a few results of it. Lying as the big elephant in the room, we all need to recognize it as reality: bullying is real, and victims are being wrongfully hurt. In order to keep schools safe for everyone and give a fair chance of success for all, we need to look out for another, especially if we see bullying happening in our own community.

by Lucas W.


Works Cited:

Daniels, Ellen. "U.VA. Study Links Prevalence of Bullying, Teasing to High Dropout Rates." 31 October 2012. https://news.virginia.edu/content/uva-study-links-prevalence-bullying-teasing-high-dropout-rates

Saint Louis, Catherine. "Effects of Bullying Last Into Adulthood, Study Finds." 20 February 2013. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/effects-of-bullying-last-into-adulthood-study-finds/