As schools begin opening their doors for a new school year, it also opens a door to bullying season. Nearly 33% of elementary school students are victimized by bullies within the school walls, 20% of kindergarteners are bullied quite often. Children are in school to learn, to grow, to expand their skills, and solve problems. Unfortunately, they are also succumbed to a certain kind of torment. Serenity McClain, of Chicopee, Massachusetts just moved up into first grade but not without falling victim to a bully. She was tormented by a little girl out of jealousy and because nobody believed Serenity, the bullying got worse.
Bullying comes in all shapes and sizes and is without a doubt torture. Verbal, social, and physical bullying can leave a child feeling worthless, left out, hurt, depressed, self-conscience, embarrassed, and sometimes can lead to more permanent issues. According to statistics, 1 out 4 kids are being bullied, 77% of students are bullied verbally, mentally, and physically, and out of the 77%, 14% of those were bullied say they have experienced a severe reaction to their unfortunate abuse.
There are many reasons as to why kids bully one another. Social issues, home life, school issues, and the bully’s personal history can factor in to how someone treats another. In the bullying case with Serenity, the bully had a rough life at home that may have caused the girl to bully. “I don’t like people being mean to me because I’m smaller, we should all just get along because then no one gets in trouble,” says Serenity.
There are many pages on social media that help these kids understand they are not alone and that is help there for them. Unfortunately, there is not much intervention on the playground for these kids so having groups on a social media platform can prove to be helpful. Parents can use these sites to get information on talking with their children on what to do if they encounter a bully, what they can do if their child is a bully, and what they can do to help.
StopBulling.gov is one of the Facebook pages that offer up information for parents. The site is followed by over 213 thousand people and has almost 219 thousand likes. There are posts that discuss staying positive and knocking out the negative, stopping bullying on the spot, and discussing how bullying can lead to mental health issues. Another page called, Stop Bullying: Speak Up is followed by over 2 million people. They focus on stopping bullies in their tracks and helping kids and adults to speak out about it. Not staying silent is the best way to help stop bullying.
By utilizing the tools offered by social media, kids can help and be helped. Parents can get involved just like Serenity’s mother did and helped put an end to the bullying. Help stop bulling in its tracks and let the kids get back to focusing on their future.