Every day thousands of teens wake up afraid to go to school. Bullying is an unwanted, aggressive behavior among teenagers that involves a real or perceived power imbalance resulting with injustice. It is a problem that affects millions of students, and it has everyone worried, not just the kids on its receiving end. Yet because adults don't always see it, they may not understand how extreme bullying can get.
Bullies pick on the people they think don't fit in or are not cool, maybe because of how they look, how they act, their race, religion, or because the bullies think their target maybe homosexual. Some bullies attack their targets physically, while others use psychological control or verbal insults to put themselves in charge. For example, people who are considered popular, or are a part of a clique, often bully people they categorize as different by excluding them or gossiping about them. Bullies may also taunt or tease their targets, which accounts as verbal bullying.
One of the many pains that are caused by bullying is that it is never ending. Many adults tell their child to ignore the bullies and move on. Some even say that it is a phase in life and that everyone has gone through it. No matter how hard you try to ignore the bully it doesn’t work. Then the victims start to hate themselves and then either hurt themselves or endure the pain long enough to see themselves become the bully. Studies show that people who are abused by their peers are at risk for mental health problems, such as low self-esteem, stress, depression, or anxiety. They may also think about suicide more.
Bullying does not only stop at the victim. Bullies are at risk for problems, too. Some teen bullies end up losing friendships as they grow older. Bullies may also fail in school and not have the career or relationship success that other people enjoy.