Introduction
Bullying is one of the most common manifestations of peer violence in children and adolescents. Although both bullies and victims are all individual people, there are some typical features that representatives of each group share. According to StopBullying.gov (2021), children who bully are often of higher social status and might be considered leaders among their peers.
Discussion
They have a more positive attitude towards violent behavior, it is difficult for them to follow the rules, and they tend to argue with adults. The bullied children are usually more socially inept and, as a consequence, have few friends. They are usually vulnerable, unassertive, and have problems with self-esteem. In addition to that, students with physical differences, special needs, or disabilities, as well as those whose first language is not English, are often victims of bullying.
There is not a single specific risk factor that makes a child more likely to bully or be bullied. However, as has been mentioned above, some groups of youth, such as disabled, physically different, or, for instance, LGBT+ people might be at enhanced risk of becoming a victim. As per Menesini and Salmivalli (2017), warning signs that one might be a bully include them being easily angered, rarely expressing empathy, wanting to win at any cost, and often refusing to cooperate. Meanwhile, signs that a person is bullied could be having unexplained cuts/scratches/bruises, seeming afraid to go to school, and being sad/moody/depressed when coming home from school.
Cyberbullying is the type of bullying with the use of electronic forms of communication, which, unfortunately, has become common in this day and age. I would not say that it is a problem in my school, though there was a particular instance of it: a gay boy was forcefully outed by his classmate on TikTok. The most popular social media platforms utilized by the students of my school nowadays are TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat.
Conclusion
Prevention of bullying, cyberbullying included, has to occur in accordance with the IBSE Standards of social and emotional learning. As per Naperville 203 (n.d.), these include the use of self-management skills, interpersonal skills, and decision-making skills to guide one’s actions. Selekman et al. (2019) also add that “human resource policies and practices require regular review” (p. 936). Therefore, possible anti-bullying strategies have to contain one’s personal assurance that bullying is not okay, the ability to communicate it to children, and necessary interventions to ensure bullying does not occur.
References
Menesini, E., & Salmivalli, C. (2017). Bullying in schools: The state of knowledge and effective interventions.Psychology, Health & Medicine, 22(1), 240-253. Web.
Naperville 203. (n.d.). ISBE learning standards. Web.
Selekman, J., Shannon, R. A., & Yonkaitis, C. F. (2019). School nursing: A comprehensive text. F. A. Davis Company.
StopBullying.gov (2021). Who is at risk. Web.