Topical Issue: Bullying & Cyberbullying… the Stats Show It’s a National Plague, Especially for Teens

About 15 months ago, we ran an article that’s re-published below on the subject of bullying.

We know from the heartbreaking incident in Australia this week that bullying continues to be prevalent for students of all ages and of all nationalities.

We got some updated stats on the digital form of bullying–cyberbullying–that we feel are eye-opening and strongly encourage you to check out this article called 51 Critical Cyberbullying Statistics in 2020.

Among the stats compiled by BroadbandSearch were these:

• In 2020, 73% of students feel they have been bullied in their lifetime; 44% say it has happened in the last 30 days.
• 87% of young people have seen cyberbullying occuring online.
• In the U.S. 40% of adults have personally experienced some form of harassment and 75% of adults have seen cyberbullying around them.
• Over half of students who identify as being LGBTQ have experienced cyberbullying at some point.
• Girls are more likely to be a victim of cyberbullying than boys. Overall 36% of girls have reporting being cyberbullied as compared to 26% of boys.
• 83% of those who have been cyberbullied have also been bullied in person.
• 64% of people who have been cyberbullied say it affects their ability to learn and feel safe at school.
• Bullied students are twice as likely than other students to experience problems such as headaches and stomach aches.
• Effects of cyberbullying: 41% of those surveyed developed social anxiety; 37% developed depression; 26% had suicidal thoughts; 26% deleted their social media profiles, 25% engaged in self harm.
• As of 2020, around 81% of kids think that bullying is easier to get away with online. Part of the reasons for this could be that 90% of kids who see cyberbullying ignore it.
• However, 84% of students report having seen someone stand up to a cyberbully to tell them to stop what they are doing.
• Where are people cyberbullied? On social media platforms, it’s 42% on Instagram, 37% on Facebook, 12% on WhatsApp, 10% on YouTube and 9% on Twitter.

All of the statistics above can be found in this excellent article you can access by clicking on the link here: 51 Critical Cyberbullying Statistics in 2020.

Please educate yourself on the signs of bullying and the increasing dangers of cyberbullying.

*****

Topical Issue: Bullying… Would You Confront It If You See It Happening? Check Out This Provocative Ad That Indicates Most Won’t!

Originally published Nov. 5, 2018 on Extra Inning Softball

Hi, this is Brentt Eads of Extra Inning Softball.

Sadly, as we cover the sport of fastpitch softball from ages 8 to adulthood, the issues that impact society aren’t except from reaching our players, including the younger ones.

One of the worst of our societal ills is bullying, including the growing plague of cyber-bulling, which seems to be becoming a growing epidemic in our country among young people, to the horrific point of children and teens feeling so tormented physically, emotionally and in other ways that they feel taking their life is the only retreat from the pain.

Did you know…

… bullying is the #1 act of violence against young people in America today? (Source: nobully.org)

Covering the sport on a daily basis as we do–talking to young athletes, their parents, family members and coaches–I can attest that it definitely is in our sport.

Personally, as a football player many years ago I was bullied by a teammate; in the past year my elementary son was bullied on the playground. It’s not new, of course, but it seems to be reaching new levels of persistence, cruelty and intensity… and that includes impacting the softball world.

Why am I posting this now?

Because I have covered THREE stories of softball players who’ve taken their lives because of bullying and am seeing an increase of stories of students and athletes who are suffering because of this. This has GOT to stop!

It’s gut-wrenching and devastating to talk to parents who have lost their children to suicide because of bullying and if a life can be saved because we’re being proactive in thinking of this, then it’s time to talk more about it.

And not just watch and let it go on uncontested…

Here are some stunning stats from AntiBullyingInstitute.org… according to the National Education Association, PACER Center, and StopBullying.gov… please take the time to read every bullet item and let it sink in for a moment…

• 1 in 7 students in grades K – 12 are either a bully or have been a victim of bullying.
• An estimated 160,000 U.S. children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students.
• 83% of girls and 79% of boys report experiencing harassment.
• Six out of 10 teenagers say they witness bullying in school once a day.
• 35% of kids have been threatened online.
• Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBTQ youth report being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
• 57% of boys and 43% of girls reported being bullied because of religious or cultural differences.
• Bullies often go on to perpetrate violence later in life: 40% of boys identified as bullies in grades 6 through 9 had three or more arrests by age 30.
• One out of every 10 students who drop out of school does so because of repeated incidents of bullying.
• 75% of shooting incidents at schools have been linked to bullying and harassment.
• 64% of children who were bullied did not report it.
• Nearly 70% of students think schools respond poorly to bullying.
• When bystanders intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds 57% of the time.

In regards to the last item, when bullies are confronted the incident usually is halted quickly more than half the time! But how often does a third party get involved? Would you?

Look at this compelling social experiment by Burger King–yes, a fast-food restaurant–from a year ago which some have seen but many have not.

The company showed that people are MUCH more likely to stand up and do something when their hamburger is bullied (watch the ad, it will make sense!) than when a high school student is bullied!

There are times, obviously, when discretion is advised and getting involved could worsen the situation, but almost always when a bully is confronted he or she backs down.

Something to think about, especially if we see it in our world of athletes interacting with their peers.