Definition
Bullying is when one person or a group of people repeatedly hurts someone else. Bullying involves hurting someone who is often weaker or less confident. There are many types of bullying, and for young women, bullying usually involves more teasing than hitting. Bullying is often done on purpose and it can happen anywhere, such as at school, in the park, on a sports team, or even at home. Often the person being bullied has a hard time defending herself.
Articles
- Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Bullying
- Bullying Widespread in U.S. Schools, Survey Finds
- Stopping Bullying
- How Being a Bully can Hurt You
- Bullying Hurts
- Cyber-bullying
- Why Some Girls Are Bullied?
- Youth Gangs (Bullying)
- Why Girls Bully
- Bullying… (Girls)
- Bullying is Not a Fact of Life
Article Summaries
Addressing the Problem of Juvenile BullyingBullying, a form of violence among children, is common on school playgrounds, in neighborhoods, and in homes throughout the United States and around the world. Often occurring out of the presence of adults or in front of adults who fail to intercede, bullying has long been considered an inevitable and, in some ways, uncontrollable part of growing up. School bullying has come under intense public and media scrutiny recently amid reports that it may have been a contributing factor in shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, in 1999 and Santana High School in Santee, CA, in early 2001 and in other acts of juvenile violence including suicide.
Bullying Widespread in U.S. Schools, Survey Finds
Bullying is widespread in American schools, with more than 16 percent of U.S. school children saying they had been bullied by other students during the current term, according to a survey funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The study appears in the April 25, 2001, Journal of the American Medical Association. Overall, 10 percent of children said they had been bullied by other students, but had not bullied others. Another 6 percent said that they had both been bullied themselves and had bullied other children. Another 13 percent of students said they had bullied other students, but had not been bullied themselves.
Although you may not be directly involved in the bullying, there may be times when you see others being bullied. And even though it may be easier to stand by and watch or ignore the bullying, try to keep in mind, we all need a little help from time to time. Think about how you might feel if the bullying was happening to you.
How Being a Bully can Hurt You
Did you know that being a bully can also cause you serious problems? Young women who bully are more likely to drop out of school, have poor grades, use drugs, and shoplift. Bullies are more likely to get in trouble, especially when they are caught bullying others. Would you want to always get in trouble, have bad grades, and hurt other people? Probably not! If you’re still not convinced that bullying is bad, keep reading to learn more interesting facts.
Not only can bullying hurt someone’s feelings, it can have other more serious effects. Some problems can even last until you are an adult! Bullying can play a role in: Sadness, hurt feelings, loneliness, and even depression, poor body image, low self-esteem and even eating disorders, especially when teased about weight, skipping school, bad grades, and being afraid to go to school, headaches, stomach aches, and anxiety, trouble sleeping, thoughts and acts of suicide, in very bad cases.
Cyber-bullying is repeatedly hurting someone else through the use of technology. So, instead of whispering a rumor to a friend, a bully might e-mail or instant message that rumor or post it on the internet for everyone to see! Or the bully might use technology to ignore you. An example of this would be a friend all of a sudden ignoring your e-mails or instant messages.
Many young women who are bullied do not try to get out of the situation, mainly because they do not know many other teen girls are bullied each year. Some teens are so afraid of losing their friends that they go along with what others say and do, even if it is mean and hurts themselves or other people.
Hanging out with a regular group of friends can be a lot of fun, provide a sense of belonging, and boost your self-esteem. You might run with a crowd that you know through school, your neighborhood, or through mutual friends. Your group might go by a specific name, meet up regularly at a favorite hangout, and even use hand signs, symbols or dress a certain way to show that you are loyal to each other. So what makes your group of friends different from a youth gang? Getting involved with criminal activity is the important difference between gangs and teen clubs, cliques, and other social groups. Getting involved with criminal activity is the important difference between gangs and teen clubs, cliques, and other social groups.
Young women tease one another, spread rumors, and pick fights to be mean. Why? For most people, bullying is a way to feel better about themselves, feel important, and control other people. Young women also think they will be popular if they make fun of others and spread gossip. What they don’t know is that bullying is not cool!
Bullying is when one person or a group of people repeatedly hurts someone else. Bullying involves hurting someone who is often weaker or less confident. There are many types of bullying, and for young women, bullying usually involves more teasing than hitting. Bullying is often done on purpose and it can happen anywhere, such as at school, in the park, on a sports team, or even at home. Often the person being bullied has a hard time defending herself.
Bullying is Not a Fact of Life
Much research on family conditions and the upbringing of children has led to this important conclusion: A lot of love and involvement from the people bringing up children, clear limits for what behavior is allowed and not allowed, as well as the use of nonviolent methods of upbringing, creates non-aggressive, harmonious, and independent children. Here are some common sense rules for parents/caregivers who want to help children have a positive childhood.