Is Bullying on the Rise?

The issue of bullying is not one that is new in the slightest bit, however it has taken on a new shape and form over the years and has become increasingly hard to prevent.  I have previously written on the issues of bullying, however recently it has become more prevalent in the media recently as a number of cases have made headlines. Recent news coverage has included that which has targeted gay teens, which has led to related suicides (CBS).   Much of the recent bullying has been done via the use of the internet or mobile devices, and has included the use of video, as well as the distribution of photos and other images.

Technology has made bulling increasingly easy to both conduct and increase the impact, as it can go viral in moments forever placing the victims humiliation and fears to the world.  Earlier this year I wrote on many of the horrifying statistics of Cyber Bullying, as well as provided a number of tips.  I have since discovered that Cyber Bullying has become the biggest fear for many parents…and children.  According to a Care.com telephone survey of 384 American adult parents, it was the was the number-one fear of parents surveyed, with 3o percent of parents listing it above fears such as, kidnapping which came in at 27 percent.

Now with technology in every child’s hands bullying is even easier, quicker and can be more widespread with only a click of a button or mouse. Children text images and rumors, sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter can all serve as platforms to abuse and deface one and other. Facebook was one of most used mediums of abuse in the case of Phoebe Prince in Boston, as I covered in my piece Bullying is Abuse.  Prince’s Facebook bullying followed her preceding her suicide when a Bully writes ‘accomplished’ on Phoebe Prince’s Facebook page on day of death.

The increase of cyber bullying has now led to the passing of laws in some 45 states in the U.S. to punish cyber bullies and bring increased attention to the extreme impact and harm it can cause victims.  I was please to see my home state of Missouri passed a law in August, sadly it came due to the suicide of a 13 year-old, Megan Meier (Hannibal Courier Post).  While these laws are significant progress in the fight to stop bullying and punished abusers, it is only one piece in a complex puzzle that must be put together to ensure children across the country…and globe…are no longer forced to suffer in silence.