Facts About Bullying in Middle School

Occurrence

• The National Youth Violence Resource Center reports that 30 percent of U.S. children have reported being involved in bullying as either a bully, victim or both. Bullying begins in elementary school and increases during middle school, which is where the activity traditionally peaks. It then falls off during the high school years. Middle school girls who mature early are frequently targets of bullying as are boys who are smaller or more passive than their classmates.

Short-Term Effects

• The victims of bullying frequently suffer from bouts of depression, mood swings and loss of self-esteem. Schoolwork sometimes suffers as the victims are easily distracted and lose interest in daily activities and hobbies. They may complain of frequent illnesses to avoid going to school.

Long-Term Effects

• Extended periods of bullying can amplify the short-term symptoms into larger problems. The lack of healthy social interaction can make the bullied victim have difficulty relating to others for the rest of his life. The depression can get severe enough to the point that the victim contemplates or attempts suicide. Female victims are more likely to develop self-destructive behaviors such as eating disorders.

Myths

• It has been widely reported that middle school bullies are unpopular with few friends and that they frequently suffer from self-esteem problems. Education.com reports, however, that bullies, especially in a middle school environment, are confident of themselves and frequently have a large number of friends who look up to them and want to emulate their behavior. The Education.com report also discounts the notion of a "victim personality."

Prevention

• The most effective deterrent to bullying in middle schools, according to the group "Stop Bullying Now," is a zero-tolerance policy toward any kind of verbal or physical bullying that is reflected school-wide. Parents, teachers and administrators need to be unified to report and stop any violent or aggressive behavior as it occurs, and any leniency in this regard is more likely to facilitate further bullying acts. Bullying activity needs to have specific and consistent ramifications every time an act occurs, including detention and suspension.

Cyberbullying

• Cyberbullying is the act of harassing another person through digital means such as the Internet or cellular phones. The popularity of cell phones, the Internet, email and social-networking sites have made cyberbullying much more common. It is possible for a group of students to demean a target from a distance by sending hateful or threatening emails and texts and post derogatory comments about them on social networking sites. Cyberbullying should not be taken lightly as there have been suicides and homicides that have occurred as a direct result of it, as reported by StopCyberBullying.org. There is no simple solution for cyberbullying since the circumstances vary greatly from case-to-case, but educating students about the dangers of it and teaching the importance of respect for others at a young age can help curtail incidents from happening.