Correa 1

Ana Correa
ENGL 113
4 February 2015

Stop Bullying Now

In the generation we are living in, criticism has become harsher than ever. People feel
the need to judge others by their appearance, attitude and their socio economic status. These
are some of the common reasons why some peers seem to bully an individual. According to
stopbullying.gov bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that
involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to
be repeated over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious,
lasting problems(Stop Bulling). Bullying should be a crime; it is cruel and unethical. With the
help of many professions like psychology, sociology, public health, education and other social
sciences from the modern world, research on bullying has become broader.
There are many ways bullying can influence and drastically change an individuals
psychological origin. There are some organization who make it their job to determine the
negative outcomes of bullying like, Bullying can affect everyonethose who are bullied,
those who bully, and those who witness bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative
outcomes including impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide (Stop Bullying).
Thus, not only will the victim of bullying be dramatized but also the one witnessing the
problem will carry in their conscious that they should have helped the victim. In general,
bullying has a negative impact on anyone who is involved; the target, the bully and the
bystander (Education of education and training). The target will most likely have low self-

Correa 2
esteem because they feel worthless and incapable of being liked/ loved by someone else.
Although the victim may have not felt like this in the beginning, all the negativity from the
bully gets stuck in his/her head. Along with no self-esteem the victim will be less accepted by
peers, will avoid conflict and be conservative. The next complication for the victim will be
high risk of substance use, depression, anxiety, and the feeling of being isolated or lonely,
which can lead to suicidal thoughts. According to the Suicide Awareness Voices for Education,
Suicides among 15-24 years olds is the third leading cause of death for youth. One of 65,000
children ages 10 to 14 commit suicide every year. Over 16% of students seriously consider
suicide, 13% create a plan, and 8 percent have made a serious attempt (Nonbulling). As one
can see, bullying is an increasing issue in the school system. What people do not know is that
the individual may remember any tragic event for a lifetime. Studies have been organized to
determine whether a short or long period of time of being bullied has a higher risk in affecting
someone. The results were frightful, and it seems like bullying is more drastic than originally
thought. For example, attendance seems to be declining due to bullying, more than 5.9 percent
of students missed school due to fear. Kids that get bullied tend to have more health problems
than the ones not getting bullied; victims of bulling take more trips to the doctors office as
well. Mental health is also at risk when bulling someone; they have a higher chance in getting
depression, anxiety and other serious mental issues. Lets just put it this way, if you have
nothing nice to say then you should just keep it to yourself.
Adolescent bullying is a topic that needs to be reconsidered. Many believe kids that are
in kindergarten to six grade have no intention in harming another individual, but in reality they
are smarter than we think. Kids will be kids, the saying goes, so warning signs of bullying are
often overlooked as a natural part of childhood. However, although playground bullies have

Correa 3
been around since time immemorial, such behavior should neither be considered acceptable
nor excusable(The Impact Of Bullying). Children that bully consider such a thing because
they want to overpower people. Usually when Younger kids bully it is normally name calling,
teasing, or making fun of them by the way they look, speak or by how smart or not smart they
are. According to study about cyber bullying, Children who are identified as bullies by the
time they are eight years of age are six times more likely than other children to have a criminal
conviction by the time they are 24 years old. Bullying behavior may also be accompanied by
other inappropriate behavior, including criminal, delinquent, or gang behavior( No Bullying
Expert Advice On Cyber Bullying School Bullying). Like stated in the previous quote, most
teen bullies grew up to participate in lawless activities, which include burglary, theft and
assault. This can conclude that todays bullies can become tomorrows criminals.
Older age bullying is another topic that needs to be discussed because it is getting very
popular for teenagers to bully others. Older age bullying can define from kids that are in middle
school and high school. Usually bullying in the adolescence years are drastic, hurtful and can
ruin their reputation. Most of the bullying done in these years is false statements to make the
bully look cool and belittle the victim. Although many of us may remember bullying in high
school to be a physical aggression, it has now become broader with different ways of harming
the victim. According to bullying statistics, There are many different types of bullying,
including verbal and emotional bullying. These types of bullying, though more subtle than
physical bullying, can still have a large impact on a student. Additionally, with the Internet now
becoming a huge part of many teens' lives, it is no surprise that cyber bullying is seeing an
increase(Bullying Statistics). As you can tell, with the technology growing extensively,
teenagers are spending most of their time on social media. Although social media is a great

Correa 4
source to get rid of boredom it can lead to complications. As we all know, once something is
put on the Internet, there is no way of removing it from the network. That is why it is best
advised to think twice when posting something on the Internet. It is quite tragic when an
Internet post affects someone elses state of being. According to the author of the article
presented in the portion below, there are abundantly many ways in bullying the target:
Cyber bullying is a bullying in which happens through text messages or emails
online. This is where someone posts rumors on social site such as face book, Twitter
and others will attempt to conceal the identity of his/her self by making fake profiles
or websites and share pictures having defamatory messages and even share private
information that embarrasses the person being bullied. Bullying will be done through
teasing, talking to make someone to get hurt, and spread rumors. The person being
bullied will feel Alone, powerless, different, unpopular, sad, feel sick or may even
make the bullied to bully others too. This can happen anywhere depending on the
surrounding environment, learning institutions, towns, cities, suburbs or rural towns.
Groups such as youth, bisexual persons, lesbians, gays, disable people and socially
isolated persons are mostly subjected to this kind of bullying. Bullying can also affect
those who witness as it is linked to negative outcomes such as mental health, drug abuse
and even cause suicide. (UCS green campus)
Bullying can start small but can then be created into something big which can affect the victim
in multiple ways. Cyber bullying is considered one of the most hurtful ways in bullying an
individual. The reason for this is because people that dont even know the individual, now
know everything about them and some of this information can make people think poorly of the
victim. The information might not be true, but since they dont know the victim they will

Correa 5
believe anything and everything the bully says.
Bullying should be taken more into consideration. There is various ways in bullying an
individual. One of the most common bullying is cyber bullying. According to Cyber bullying
statistics from the i-SAFE foundation, more than half of adolescents and teens have been
bullied directly and through cyber bullying. One in three adolescents have encountered cyber
threats online. Over twenty-five percent of teens have been bullied on a regular basis through
their cell phone or the Internet. A large group of adolescents do not bother telling their parents,
principal, or teacher. Many cyber bullies think its hilarious to bully others online just to create
self-entertainment. But what they do not realize is that with bullying there are drastic
consequences. The things teen post online will haunt them in the future, especially when
applying for college and or jobs. Cyber bullies may lose their privileges to their social media
accounts and cell phones. Also, the bully and their parents may receive legal charges for cyber
bullying, and if the bully was sexual in nature or involved sexting, the outcome of these acts
can include being registered as a sex offender. Teens assume that if they use a fake account or
pretend to be someone they are not, they think that they will not get caught but in reality
tracking someone now and days is simple.
There have been multiple stories on the news, articles, and papers about victims
committing suicide due to bullying. There is even websites where people discuss about them
getting bullied, when it started, how long it has lasted and how it has affected them. There is
another website where they have victims stories who sadly committed suicide. A story that
stood out to me the most was about Gemma, a young girl that has kept her bullying secret for
about 15 years. She started getting bullied ever since she was in pre-school. Gemma
considered herself overweight, ugly, worthless and a tomboy. She never looked like the other

Correa 6
girl her age, which made her not fit in. Her classmates made up songs about her and told her
that she made straight guys go gay. When starting high school, she thought everything would
get better, but it turns out things just got worst. Going to an all girl school made her life even
more complicated. In high school she met Hanna and Carla, the two worst influences in her
life. They befriended her, but would laugh and make fun of her behind her back. They would
be considered a bad influence because they smoke, drink and took drugs; all Gemma was
trying to do is be the best she can be in school. One day this guys named Anthony asked her to
be his girlfriend; it turns out she liked him too, so she said yes. What she didnt know is that on
of her bully liked him as well, so she made her life even more miserable after that. She would
go home crying convinced that she didnt want to go through this much emotional pain.
Although she did consider suicide, she never had the ability to do it. Years passed by and she is
finally back with Anthony. The bully friends did not succeed in life. Carla was a high school
dropout and Hanna got pregnant at age 17. This goes to show that there is always light even in
the darkest tunnel. This story does not only display that at a young age bullying can initiate but
that in the future the bully will pay for their unacceptable actions. That is why it is always
good to stay humble and treat everyone with respect (Real Bulling Stories).
Many times it is tough to know whether a loved one are being bullied. The best thing to
do in this type of situation is to look for warning signs. Students that are getting bullied might
have torn, damaged, or missing pieces of clothes, books, or other belongings; Have
unexplained cuts, bruises, and scratches from fighting; Will most likely be alone during school
hours due to not having friends; Might not want to go to school nor walk or ride the bus to
school; Will find no energy in participating in any activates in school like sports or clubs;
Interest in doing school work diminishes which causes grades to significantly drop; Mood

Correa 7
swings will seem obvious because they will either appear sad, teary, moody, depressed;
Complains often about headaches, stomachaches, or any other physical problems; The
individual might have trouble sleeping due to bad dreams; Appetite decreases; anxiety
increases and suffers from low self-esteem.
When noticing some of the warning signs listed in the previous paragraph it is best
advice to act fast. Parents play a critical role in stopping and preventing bullying. Teaching the
kids to solve the dispute with words and not violence is very important because nothing is
solved when using violence. Always give positive feedback when behaving well because doing
so can significantly boost the childs self esteem. Additionally, help them develop selfconfidence so that in the future they can stand up for their beliefs. Nevertheless, when the child
arrives from school a simple question like, How was your day? can make the individual feel
like he or she is worthy and loved. Most of the times kids are embarrassed to tell anyone they
are getting bullied, that is why it is encouraged to comfort them and let them know that as a
parent, you will always be by their side. The possibilities of the child following the parents
footsteps are high; As a parent you are their role model so if they see you bullying another
individual they will grasp the same idea and bully others. Take bullying seriously, if you
happen to see it make sure to stop it, even if it is your own kid. Supporting bully prevention
programs in the students school is extremely advice; if the school does not happen to have
one, maybe consider starting one with involved parents, teachers and other staff members.
Prevention of bullying is another topic of concern. This world should realize that
bullying is serious and that we should start taking action. Every school should have an antibullying website, club, and program so that students, educators, and parents can gain
knowledge about the situation. Creating an anti-bullying assembly can lead to a positive

Correa 8
outcome; getting someone who has a strong connection with the age group and preparing the
individual to present powerful messages to the students. The intention should be to find a
speaker in which he or she can change the heart of the bully then give the victims practical and
helpful advice. Another great idea would be to create an anti-bully prevention campaign. The
campaign will basically be a policy in which the person pledges not to bully. In the policy it
would clearly state a definition of what bullying is. Then there would be an agreement for the
staff and students that states when in the presence of bullying, there should be a procedure to
determine the truth and severity of the incident, and lastly the consequences should be harsh
depending on the case. Bullying prevention education basically means teaching and training
the staff and student to recognize when someone is getting bullied. Bullying prevention
education will equip the staff and student body with the knowledge of what to do to stop the
victim from getting bullied.
In conclusion, bullying is considered one of the most concerning topics in school.
Bullying is the basic fundamental way in over powering an individual by using different forms
of aggression. Bullying can be done relational, verbal, and or physical; the bully or group of
bullies can neglect the victim through technology or in a face-to-face scenario. Targets of
bullying are usually characterized by disability, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion,
poverty, low social status and culture practices. Researchers have discovered the end result of
the victim when being bullied which is academic, social, and psychological short and longterm deprivation. Parents can take action by positively influencing their children in the right
direction by setting positive examples and teaching them proper morals. Warning signs of an
individual being bullied are obvious, all you have to do is open your eyes and see how much of
a strain the victim is going through. As for any individual going through this situation, never

Correa 9
let the bully win; do not try ignoring it, fight back by going to someone and let him or her
know about the situation you are currently phasing. Lastly, these tough times will not last
forever, just keep holding on and stay strong.

Correa 10
Work Cited

"Please Login OR Register First to Make Recursive Donation." No BullyingExpert Advice On

Cyber Bullying School Bullying. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2015.
"The Impact of Bullying." The Impact of Bullying. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2015.
"Home | StopBullying.gov." Home | StopBullying.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb.

2015.

"UCSBGreenCampus.com." Original Essay Sample On THe Topic Of Cyber-Bullying. N.p., n.d.

Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
"Teenage Bullying." - Bullying Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"Cyber Bullying Statistics." - Bullying Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"What Parents Can Do." National Crime Prevention Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.
"Stories from People Like You." Real Bullying Stories. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.