American Teenage Culture: Bullying In 2010, statistics show that 71% of students reported bullying as being an ongoing problem for them. Bullying has always been an issue in our culture, but in recent years bullying has become more rampant, and even more of an issue for our younger generation than ever before. There are a variety of types of bullying, but today, three major types seem to be affecting our teens on a widespread basis throughout the county. These include verbal bullying, exclusion, and with the rise of social networks of today and all other forms of communication, we now have cyber ullying.
When people think of bullying they imagine kids getting pushed into lockers, punched, or thrown into trashcans, that is called physical bullying, however bullying can go beyond the physical and become verbal, hurting the victim not physically, but mentally. The goal of verbal bullying is to degrade, and make the victim feel less of themselves. Verbal bullying is used more often with girls than with boys. Girls use this type of bullying to dominate others and to show their superiority and power.
Many victims of verbal bullying are affected in many ways. Verbal bullying can affect ne’s self-image and can affect the victim in emotional and psychological ways, causing low self-esteem, depression and other issues. Verbal abuse can become so severe and make the victim want to get away so bad that they may turn to substance abuse or suicide to solve their bullying issues. In the end, words have a power all their own, a power so strong that the bully would never have to lay finger on their victim to have very physical consequences.
Exclusion is one of the more powerful types of bullying. A bully uses exclusion to make their victim feel like an outcast, not only does the bully exclude the victim from heir own social circle, but they use their influence on other kids to make sure the victim is excluded from other social circles, leaving the victim alone and with no friends. Studies show that kids who are rejected by their classmates, find it harder to participate in classroom activities making the victims grades and self-esteem suffer.
As the internet and online social networks continue to grow, so does cyber bullying. Cyber bullying can be Just as devastating as bullying in real life, in some cases, cyber bullying is Just a continuation of the bullying endured at school taken home. When a child or teenager is harassed, humiliated, or threatened using digital technology such as texting, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Tumblr or any other social networking websites, that is cyber bullying.
Cyber bullying is another way for a bully to make the victim to feel bad about themselves. Cyber bullying can include leaving harsh messages on the victims Facebook page, uploading embarrassing pictures, spreading gossip or rumors about the victim through group messaging or text messages, the list goes on, there are many ways to humiliate a victim online. Because the damage is often psychological, it can spill over into the real world, ausing the victim to experience severe depression, self-harm, or even suicide.
Bullying is an ongoing issue in our society, and together we can stop this problem. I nere are many ren tnlngs you can ao to prevent Dullylng or to nelp yourselT IT you are falling victim to this terrible issue. First, talk to an adult about what is happening, there are also support groups and hotlines available and ready to help. Recently, in some states there has been legislation written making bulling illegal. It’s important to get help and not suffer in silence. With support from our loved ones we can stop bullying for good.
