School bullying statistics indicate that about 1 in 4 children in the US are bullied regularly on school grounds. This should serve as a wake-up call for educators and parents to be aware that, given these facts, their child has a 25% chance of being bullied through either on-campus bullying or cyberbullying sometime during the school year.
We researched for the latest school bullying statistics to highlight the phenomenon further and how to handle it.
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The SAFE Survey of School Bullying Statistics (2010)
A more recent survey shows that about 19% of U.S. students aged 12-18 reported being bullied during school in 2021-22. Additionally, around 20% of high school students reported experiencing traditional bullying, and 15% reported cyberbullying between 2011 and 2019, with female students more likely to be affected.
This kind of school bullying is especially hurtful, as it involves gossip, ridicule, and ostracising on the part of the bullies, spreading lies about the person, and verbal abuse tactics like yelling obscenities within earshot of the person or others listening in. Some of these incidents involve targeting individuals because of their race or other specific group they are associated with, such as students with special needs, gender, or other specific category.
School Bullying’s Harmful Consequences
When examining school bullying statistics, it was found that around 22% of students report being bullied, and about 27% of those who are bullied experience severe or traumatic reactions. The damage to a student’s reputation with peers and the resulting inability to carry on their life as normal is staggering. School counsellors and private therapists often report hearing about school bullying situations from young people who come to them or have their parents or others refer them for help due to behaviour or emotional issues.
In a separate study related to school bullying statistics, 1 out of 5 kids admitted to being the bully in such instances, including gossipping, ridiculing, making fun of someone different, and other tactics. Some incidents of suicide have been attributed to bullying, such as the young man who jumped off a New York bridge after a college roommate posted videos on social media of the victim.
School Bullying and Violence
In any study of school bullying statistics, we must also acknowledge the link between school bullying and violence. While bullying itself is not normally considered a violent offence unless it involves physical fighting, the result increases the chances that violence will occur, either in retaliation from the victim toward the perpetrator or the perpetrator himself.
Not all school bullying is physical, but the result on the victim may cause a sense of resentment and anger so strong that they vow to get revenge, and often do. In studies of recent shootings in schools, when we trace the history of the shooters, many of them had some sort of bullying situation in their past in which they were the victims. Notice I said, “They were the victim of bullying, not the instigator.” So what does this tell us?
The Victim Becomes the Bully
This means that for everyone who is bullied, some will lash back. With the hurtful experience festering in their minds for a long time, they may plan a revenge attack so severe that it ends up on national media and involves military weaponry. In most cases, it may not be so harsh.
But looking at the background of the infamous shooters in many of these school violence episodes we hear about these days, one cannot deny the high correlation that exists between kids who were bullied and their evolution into a violent future. While some seek therapy and help for their maltreatment, many others may dwell on it over many years before they finally decide to take vengeance on those who wronged them.
When, How and Where Does School Bullying Take Place?
Many school bullying occurs in the bathroom, during class transition times, recess, and lunch. This means that teachers and school staff need to be even more vigilant than ever to be sure they know what is going on instead of talking to peers across the hall about their lesson plans.
Administrators need to remind teachers bullying can happen anywhere and to be especially wary in a larger district, as it can occur all the time under our noses without our knowing it. These days, kids have learnt new tactics to intimidate and bully others. So, school staff and administrators have to be much more savvy about catching it when it happens and not allowing it to continue.
Recent studies have also shown that students are more likely to experience incidences of violence on the school grounds than on their way to school. This means that violence on the campuses of the US has increased, and parents should also be aware of this so that they can be vigilant with their child at home as well to discuss any possible incidence of bullying as it occurs.
The figures don’t lie. School Bullying Statistics show bullying has increased, so schools must work to put a plan in place to ensure it is not a big problem in their districts. Some kids learn how to get what they want early in life and try to continue this when they come to school. Forming “gangs” of protection with other kids, using intimidation methods, and physical threats are only some of the ways they control others with their inappropriate actions.
Cyberbullying Becoming More Prominent
Cyberbullying is a problem as well when looking into school bullying statistics. About 80% of students who are online claim that they have either been a victim of or seen cyberbullying at some point while online through social media and other venues.
With more and more kids online, the tendency to be bullied by peers online, as well as offline, has increased in recent years. This means that not only teachers and parents have to be aware of what is happening on the school campus when the student is offline but also when they are online due to cyberbullying.
Most schools are very restrictive on what they allow students to view and what sites they may access during the school day. Most chat and social media services are disabled for students, but it is still possible they may encounter cyberbullying online while at school. According to recent figures, however, it is more likely that they will encounter cyberbullying while at home.
What Schools Can Do to Combat School Bullying
One significant challenge in addressing school bullying is that an estimated 85% of bullying incidents do not receive appropriate intervention from teachers or administrators. As a result, many cases continue without resolution, leaving victims unsupported. However, research shows that student bystanders can effectively stop bullying, with intervention halting the behaviour within seconds in many cases. This fact is the most alarming and creates a liability for school districts.
Schools should work diligently to fight school bullying wherever it occurs, punishing the aggressor and protecting the victim. However, too often, teachers are too busy to listen, administrators feel both are at fault, or there is insufficient evidence to pursue a harsher penalty.
Regardless of the reasons, schools have an ethical and legal responsibility to stop it in its tracks when it starts. This takes a coordinated effort on the part of school districts and parents to create a system that everyone buys into, a system that will be enforced daily, and one that parents can be involved in.
School Bullying Can be Linked To Criminal Activity
The most important motivation to stop bullying as soon as it starts should be our knowledge that school bullying is linked to criminal activity. While not so in every case, the behaviour that motivates bullies to intimidate and hurt others is the same motivation that allows criminals to do so. Teaching children early in their lives the consequences of bullying will go a long way to preventing it in the future.
About 35% of teens report that they have been threatened online by someone they were talking to. This points out the need for internet safety to be taught to students and administrators so they can get involved when possible in educating parents and teens about the dangers of online communication and teaching them to take precautions, just as they do in the real world.
Schools have done a good job teaching kids about “stranger danger” in the real world. However, it seems to be lacking in teaching them about online threats and cyberbullying.
What Parents Can Do to Combat School Bullying
One thing that parents can do to lower school bullying statistics is to have an “open-door policy” with their kids. While parents are not going to know everything or have all the answers, communicating to your child that bullying is never okay and that you are there for them will help them see that you will not let anyone hurt them. It will also remind would-be bullies that there may be consequences at home, too.
The online situation is something parents have more control over than the schools. While schools have full power over bullying on the school campus, as mentioned before, most incidences of bullying online take place at home. So parents must monitor what their kids are doing, who they are talking to, what social media they are members of, and what blogs and forums they post to as a general rule. This way, parents are more aware of what is happening online with their children and can be more capable and enlightened on handling bullying when it occurs.
Likewise, if a bullying incident occurs at school, it may be discovered that it has some connection to the online issue, and parents can bring this information to the school administrators and teachers so that they can sort out all the details. Kids use social media to talk to people they already know in the real world and to make new friends. It is a safe bet that incidences of bullying in the real world are somehow tied to online situations and often involve the same people.
If it is discovered that this is the case, schools and parents can use more legal recourse if needed if a situation escalates in the real world. Careful documentation of both the offline and online occurrences may strengthen a case if it ends up in legal channels later on.
Final Thoughts on School Bullying Statistics
School bullying statistics are staggering. This should serve as a harsh reminder that not enough is being done to combat the ongoing problem of bullying in both online and offline situations. Parents should take an active role in their child’s school activities, go online as their child in the internet chat rooms and social media, and see what is happening.
This proactive stance on the part of parents may be enough to combat bullying before it starts. But in cases where it does start, know your rights. Attend parent PTO meetings when available and ask about the policies of your child’s school district regarding bullying and harassment.
Remember that there are several types of bullying, none of which are acceptable. The links to bullying and future criminal activity should serve as the most sombre reminder of all that we must do something today to prevent more tragedies tomorrow.
We must take action, have a NO bullying policy everywhere we go, and ensure our school districts are not letting bullying go unpunished. Administrators and teachers are busy people, but they should never be so busy that a child’s self-esteem is injured or permanently scarred due to senseless intimidation and bullying they experience while in school.
Bullied children are not focused on their school work. Their only concern is how to get through the day. They are in alert mode all the time. They may suffer from anxiety, depression, and even thoughts of suicide. At a time when a young person should be looking forward to their future, they may be planning how to end it. This is why we must get involved. We need counsellors, teachers, school administrators, and parents all on the same page.
The safety and future of our children is at stake. Let it begin with us.