Bullying
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Why do teens bully?
Teens tease one another, insult peers, spread rumors, and pick fights to be mean. Why? For most people, bullying is a way to feel better about themselves, feel important, and control other people. Young people also think they will be popular if they make fun of others and spread gossip. What they don’t know is that bullying is not cool!
Teens bully:
- To get attention
- To get what they want
- To gain respect
- To become more popular
- To feel better about themselves
- To punish people they are jealous of
- Because they think it’s fun to hurt others’ feelings
- Because others are doing it
- To gain power and control
Why do young teens get bullied?
Many teens who are bullied do not try to get out of the situation, mainly because they do not know many other teens are bullied each year. Some teens are so afraid of losing their friends that they go along with what others say and do, even if it is mean and hurts themselves or other people.
So why do certain people get bullied? Why are they bullied more than others? Often, bullies target people they are jealous of or people they know will not fight back. Also, bullies pick on people who seem “different” from themselves or their friends. Many times, teens want so badly to fit in with the popular crowd, that they do not tell on bullies when they are picked on or made fun of.
How can bullying hurt you?
Not only can bullying hurt someone’s feelings, it can have other more serious effects. Some problems can even last until you are an adult! Bullying can play a role in:
- Sadness, hurt feelings, loneliness, and even depression
- Poor body image, low self-esteem and even eating disorders, especially when teased about weight
- Skipping school, bad grades, and being afraid to go to school
- Headaches, stomach aches, and anxiety
- Trouble sleeping
- Thoughts and acts of suicide, in very bad cases
Remember….
Bullying others or being bullied can hurt someone both physically and emotionally—and affect you long after you become an adult!
Can being the bully hurt you?
Did you know that being a bully can also cause you serious problems? Young people who bully are more likely to drop out of school, have poor grades, use drugs, and shoplift. Bullies are more likely to get in trouble, especially when they are caught bullying others. Would you want to always get in trouble, have bad grades, and hurt other people? Probably not! If you’re still not convinced that bullying is bad, keep reading to learn more interesting facts.
- Childhood bullies are much more likely to commit a crime by age 24
- Often, childhood bullies are violent when they are older
- Bullies take part in many bad things, such as drug and alcohol use, and smoking
- Childhood bullies may not change and may be bullies as adults
- Bullies are more likely to get into fights and steal
