Facts About Bullying

Nationally, 1 out of 5 students between the ages of 12 and 18 are bullied every year.

The most commonly reported type of bullying is verbal bullying followed by rumor spreading and social exclusion.

While bullying typically happens in unstructured situations and minimally supervised areas such as playgrounds, cafeterias, hallways, bus stops, and buses, the classroom is also a common location for bullying.

Students who reported that they were frequently bullied scored lower in reading, mathematics, and science than their peers who reported that they were never or rarely bullied.

Victims of bullying are often unwilling to report their victimization to others. Victims of in-person bullying are less likely to report due to fear of retaliation while victims of cyberbullying express concerns that if they report their technology will be taken away.

Less than half of students ages 12-18 who were bullied during the school year notified a parent or an adult at school about the bullying.

According to a PEW Research Center report, parents ranked bullying as the second most pressing worry they have for their children, second only to mental health in general. Seventy-four percent of parents said they were somewhat or extremely/very worried about bullying.

Over half of students ages 13-17 (54.6%) reported that they had experienced cyberbullying in their lifetime. Mean or hurtful comments posted online, exclusion from group chats, and rumors spread online were most commonly reported.

Students who are cyberbullied are also likely to be bullied in traditional ways.

When asked about the effect bullying has on them, students reported:

• negative feelings about themselves;
• negative effects on their schoolwork;
• negative effects on their relationships with family and friends; and
• negative effects on their physical health.

Nearly 14% of public schools report that bullying is a discipline problem occurring daily or at least once a week.