Disadvantages Of Bullying

Bullying: Normal or Tragic

What is bullying? Bullying is defined by stopbullying.gov as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance” (stopbullying.gov). This behavior can be physical, verbal, or even cyber. Bullies can be parents, siblings, teachers, or most commonly, peers. Some may argue that what is defined as bullying today, is just kids being kids. The problem with that is that bullying has become so hurtful and humiliating that children are taking their lives, or the lives of others in retaliation for this behavior. There are many reasons a person may become a bully. Cultural causes, institutional causes, social issues, family issues, or personal history may all contribute

Many parents these days allow their children to stay inside for hours on end playing video games and not playing outside with other children. Some experts believe that children become victims because they are not allowed to play freely with “peers, without adult monitoring” (Understanding Bullying). This type of free play helps children to develop appropriate social skills and social problem solving skills. In an article written for the academic journal, Education, Joseph Simplicio tells us that parents of these children “constantly hover around their children in attempts to protect and guide them” (Simplicio). This behavior results in the parent becoming “pseudo friends” and the children relying on the parents for all affirmation and comfort, not developing aforementioned appropriate social

But the effects of being bullied can last a lifetime. Being bullied can cause extremely poor self-esteem, anxiety, poor coping skills, school dropouts, suicide, even murderous tendencies. According to Kate D. Simmons and Yvette P. Bynum, “An extreme, but real consequence of this behavior (bullying) could be suicidal thoughts or actions” (Simmons et al.). “According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, about one third (32%) of middle and high school students are physically bullied and over half (59%) are verbally bullied” (Austin et al.). School shootings and suicides due to bullying are on the rise. With school shootings popping up in the news every few months and suicide being the third leading cause of death among young people (about 4,400) per year, it seems bullying is a bigger problem than just kids being