ARTICLE ABOUT BULLYING

In the United States, the definition of bullying has expanded beyond

traditional notions of a bigger, stronger child picking on a smaller,
weaker victim and typically includes four key elements. The first part
of the definition now includes significant physical, emotional, or
psychological harm to the victim. The second is the inability of the
victim to stop the bully on his or her own. The third is a power
imbalance in which the bully holds more emotional, physical, or social
influence than the victim. The last is repetitive actions committed by
the bully that continue for an extended period. Bullying can occur in
virtually any interpersonal setting. While it affects young people as
well as adults, the issue is primarily considered in contexts involving
school-aged children and adolescents.

Advocacy organizations like PACER's National Bullying Prevention

Center note that definitions of the term vary according to the
educational and legal institutions that deal with the majority of
bullying cases. Exceptions to the four elements may occur; for
example, if a harmful behavior is severe enough, it may be defined as
bullying even if it only occurs on one occasion.

Antibullying advocates divide bullying behavior into four main types:

 Physical bullying: Bullies physically assault their victims or

intimidate their victims with the threat of physical violence.

 Verbal bullying: Bullies mock, shame, and verbally abuse victims

with the intent of causing fear or feelings of self-deprecation.
 Social or emotional bullying: Bullies initiate or spread harmful
gossip, or intentionally exclude others with the intent of harming
or destroying the victim's reputation or social standing.
 Cyberbullying: Bullies use electronic media, including social
networks, instant messaging, text messaging, Internet forums,
smartphone applications, and email (among other media) to
target victims with text-based equivalents of verbal bullying, or
social or emotional forms of bullying.

As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in

2018, bullying is a common phenomenon in US schools. According to
the report, one in five high school students reported being bullied on
school grounds in the twelve-month period prior to being surveyed.
Victimization rates are higher for female students (22 percent) than
male students (16 percent). A 2018 report from the National Center for
Education Statistics found higher victimization rates among middle
school students (30 percent of sixth graders and 25 percent of eighth
graders) than older students (15 percent of eleventh graders and 12
percent of twelfth graders). Differences were also noted among
students in urban and nonurban environments, with 18 percent of
students at urban schools, 20 percent of students at suburban schools,
and 27 percent of students at rural schools reporting being bullied.
Among racial and ethnic groups, 27 percent of American Indian and
Alaska Native students, 23 percent of students of two or more races,
23 percent of black students, 23 percent of white students, 16 percent
of Hispanic students, and 7 percent of Asian students reported being
bullied.