The Issue with Bullying by Jaden Cai

Think for a second, have you've been bullied?

Not many people think about it but it is actually a big issue. For everyday people who haven't been bullied: nobody deserves to be bullied.

A question to ask many people is that: “Are teachers and other students ready to help other people that are being bullied?” I’ve personally been bullied just the past year. But did they only help after the incident.

I think that teachers and students should do more about bullying not just at your school but outside of school and all over the world. After I did some research, I found out that 1 in 3 to 1 in 4 of all the students in the U.S. say that they have been bullied. That a lot! Just imagine that the school that you or your child goes to, split the school into about ¼ or ⅓ and take one of those sections.

You or your child just may be in that ⅓. I also know some people at my school that have been bullied. And me? Thinking about kids being bullied right this second makes me feel bad. How many kids can be saved from bullies if students and teachers actually took action? A lot. When kids are bullied how do they feel? Bullies never take this question into consideration. Depending on how they are bullied, they could feel depressed, anxious, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy.

These changes may stay until adulthood. That’s another reason why bullying at an early age must be stopped. Luckily, the bullying that happened to me did not leave a permanent scar. 70.4% of school staff have seen bullying. 62% witnessed bullying two or more times in the last month and 41% witness bullying once a week or more and when bystanders intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds 57% of the time.

Stepping in will reduce the number of kids affected by bullying by more than 57%. Many things that you can do is to step in or ask your child if they have been bullied so that the bullying can stop. People that are being bullied should tell trusted adults.

Now that I have told you my experience and facts with bullying. I hope that you realize how much bigger bullying is in the world. So when you know/see kids being bullied or you know your child is being bullied. Step in and take action against something that could affect thousands and thousands of kids all over the world.

[Editor's Note: I removed most of the exclamation points in this article because ― F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests: “Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.”]