An American Epidemic
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, children who are bullied can experience negative physical, social, emotional, and mental health issues, are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed. Victims of bullying sometimes experience decreased academic achievement and are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school. In addition, a small number of bullied children might retaliate through violent measures. In 12 out of 15 school shootings in the 1990's, the shooters had a history of being bullied.
Kids who bully others may also engage in violent or other risky behaviors into adulthood and are more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs, get into fights, vandalize property, or drop out of school. They may also engage in early sexual activity, have criminal convictions, and/or be abusive toward romantic partners, spouses, or children as adults.
Bystanders are kids who witness bullying and try to ignore it, laugh along, join in, expect someone else to do something, or don't know what to say or do, so they do nothing.
Bullying is an epidemic in America. One that locks the kid being bullied, the one doing the bullying, and the families of both, into an irreconcilable cycle of frustration, powerlessness, and pain.
Simply put, no parent wants to hear their child is involved in bullying another child and they will typically defend or deny it. School administrators are either unfamiliar with bullying laws, don't understand what constitutes bullying, or don't want to report it to their respective governing agencies. One too many bullying incidents begs state intervention, while law enforcement is reluctant to get involved. Most police officers won't arrest minors for bullying offenses unless they are egregious, and by then, it's usually too late. When these factors collide, the result is a bully-cycle that entraps more than one victim; the children who are bullied, the kids who bully, and the not-so-innocent bystanders.
The Bystander Effect
A social phenomenon in which students are less likely to offer help to a victim when other students are present.
