Good news: fewer teens are being bullied

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire New data from the US Department of Education brings some really good news: fewer teens are being bullied. In 2007, 31.7% of students ages 12 to 18 reported being bullied. In 2015, that number was down to 20.8%, a drop of a third. Other stats were also encouraging: In 2007, 9.7% reported being called a hate-related word, compared with 7.2% in 2015 The percentage of teens reporting being bullied at school dropped from 6.6% in 2007 to 4.2% in 2015 More teens are telling an adult about bullying: those numbers went from 36.1% in 2007 to 43.1% in 2015. There are still too many kids getting bullied, so we still have more work to do, but this is a sign that the work we’ve done so far is making a difference. And we have done a lot of work, through educational campaigns, media and social media, as well as tremendous work within schools: Bullying has been clearly described and identified. This makes it easier for everyone to recognize bullying when they see it — and do something. There will always be some gray area, but we have much more clarity than before. There is a clear consensus that bullying is a bad behavior that should be stopped. This has not always been the case. In many situations, bullying behavior was normalized, thought to be part of school and life in general. Now we understand better how harmful it can be. Because of this… Bullying is not tolerated, or at least it is much less tolerated. Youth have learned to call it out — and m...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Behavioral Health Children's Health Mental Health Pregnancy Source Type: blogs