How serious is the problem? Many students fail to report bullying to teachers and other adults, making bullying an underreported problem. As researchers probe more deeply into what goes on among school-aged children, however, alarming statistics are surfacing:
- According to the results of a nationwide survey funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, ref bullying affects nearly one out of every three U.S. children in grades 6-10.
- One third of high school students polled about issues related to school size said their schools had serious problems with bullying.ref
- A review of 1999 data collected by the Federal government on school safety among 12- to 18-year-old students found that approximately 36 percent of students reported seeing hate-related graffiti at school.ref
- Fifty-five percent of 8- to 11-year-olds and 68 percent of 12- to 15-year-olds say bullying is a big problem.ref
- A nationwide survey highlighted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 6.6 percent of students in grades 9-12 had missed at least one day of school during the 30 days preceding the survey because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school.ref
- A survey by the American Association of University Women found that although students today are likely to be aware of school sexual harassment policies, 8 in 10 students — both boys and girls — said they experienced some type of sexual harassment in school. The results were the same among urban, suburban, or rural schools.ref
There are signs that bullying is on the rise. According to the National Education Association (NEA), in recent years, “bullying has become more lethal and has occurred more frequently” than in the previous two decades.ref The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has called bullying “the most common form of violence in society”.ref
Groups such as the NEA, NASP, American Medical Association, and the American Bar Association have launched major initiatives to draw attention to the issue. Partly in response to several highly publicized school shootings across the country in recent years, several State legislatures have passed laws requiring schools to adopt antibullying policies.
Source: SAMHSA, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services