Every day, thousands of kids go to school scared of what someone might say or do to them. Bullying is a serious problem in schools across America. It is reported that about 28 percent of students ages 12–18 reported being bullied at school during the school year.  

This is a staggering number considering how many children go to school across the country. Children should not be worried about what will happen to them at school.  

They should be able to feel safe and learn the material without worrying.  

In a 2013 survey, an estimated seven percent of children reported not going to school due to personal safety concerns. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Department of Education released the first definition of bullying in 2014. They described bullying as “unwanted aggressive behavior; observed or perceived power imbalance; and repetition of behaviors or high likelihood of repetition.”  

Bullying cannot truly be defined one way because it can occur in many different settings and situations. 

One major form of bullying that has recently gotten to be more of a problem is cyberbullying. With the development of social media, bullies can now get at their victims through their electronic devices.  

Online bullying, or cyberbullying, can also involve property damage resulting from electronic attacks that lead to the modification, dissemination, damage, or destruction of an adolescent’s privately stored digital information. 

If bullying carries on for too long, or it is too much, it could fall into criminal categories such as harassment, hazing or assault. Bullying prevention has recently started to grow exponentially. Researchers are now starting to learn how complex bullying is and how it affects children so much.  

One of the main ways to help is to not be a bystander. If you see someone who is being bullied, you should always try your best to step in and get the bully to stop. 

Per the FBI, “Bullying remains one of the largest problems in schools, with the number of students reportedly bullied at least once per week steadily increasing since 1999.”  

Students should always have a trusted adult at school that they can go to if they are feeling threatened in any way.  

It could be a teacher that they like or even a coach, the goal is to have someone they can tell about their situation so it can be resolved. Bullying has become one of the biggest problems in schools across America and everyone is chipping in to try and put it to a stop.