PROFESSIONAL ISSUE: BULLYING 1
Professional Issue: Bullying
Michelle Barsom
School of Education, Liberty University
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Professional Issue: Bullying
The issue of bullying has always been a problem in education and communities in the
United States and the world. However, as technology has increased, the means and prevalence
of bullying has also changed. Bullies can now move beyond the neighborhoods and playgrounds
and victimize the innocent through computers, mobile phones, and social media networks. The
big question addresses what are administrators, both at the local and government levels doing to
handle this problem? What was once an issue of harassing a fellow student and stealing his or
her lunch money has now moved to an area of misery where young people are committing
suicide to escape the level of torment to which they are being exposed (Butwin, 2018).
Key Issues
As technology has continued to increase, teens and college students become more likely
to own a smartphone. (Frederick, et al., 2023). In fact, a study reported that in the United States
96% of people between the ages of 18-29 own a smartphone and teenagers are 84% more likely
to use at least one social media platform, such as Facebook or Instagram (Frederick, et al., 2023).
Using these devices can help have benefits by allowing people to stay in touch with those at a
distance (Fredrick, et al., 2023). Adolescents also frequently use social media because they are
afraid of missing out on the positive experiences of their classmates and friends. During these
years of development, youth want to connect with others their age, and if they feel like they do
not have a connection with others, it can result in a feeling of anxiety. This anxiety can easily
turn into depression as the adolescent increasingly feels lonely and disengaged. Yet, the need to
have multiple social media accounts also means that there is a greater likelihood of experiencing
on online aggression (Barry, et al, 2019).
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The need to stay connected will follow adolescents as they enter young adulthood. The
negative connotations will persist with the continual connection through mobile phones and
social media as well. Approximations have suggested that around 15% of college students have
been victims of cyberbullying (Frederick, et al., 2023). Cyberbullying involves the bully posting
cruel comments, rumors, or creating spiteful websites about the victim. These actions can have a
negative impact on the victim’s mental health and lead to increased rates of depression and
anxiety, affecting their academic performance, and even leading to suicide attempts (Fredrick, et
al., 2023).
A serious problem with cyberbullying is that the cyberbullies tend to use a fake
identification to mask their persona. This is a way that they can distance themselves from the
victims and make it harder to be tracked. Nevertheless, in the current age of monitoring, their
location can be identified via their IP address (Meter, et al., 2021). However, the victims may not
be educated on how to report the incident or may feel be so affected by the trauma caused that
the do not feel worthy of informing a supervisory power of the cyberbully attack. Thus, no
further action may be taken to locate the aggressor (Meter, et al., 2021). Denial is a typical
response to being bullied in the United States. This can especially be seen among male children,
who could be seen as feeling defeated or denying their masculinity if they admitted to being a
victim of bullying (Rosen & Nofziger, 2019).
Studies have indicated that people who deal with bullying are divided into three different
categories. First, there are the victims who are the ones being bullied. There are the bullies
themselves. Finally, there are those who have been bullied in the past and are now the bullies.
The last group, the bullies who were previous victims, tend to suffer from psychological
problems. It has been reported that historically being bullied was simply something one had to
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suffer through while growing up (Newman, et al., 2023). Yet, now the World Health
Organization has reported that it is actually a global health crisis with lasting consequences.
Victims of bullying have been found to suffer from physical health problems and problems in
society, along with psychological difficulties (Newman, et al., 2023).
The specter of bullying is affecting religious groups as well. After the attacks of
September 11, in addition to traditional bullying, Islamic children have been subjected to not just
traditional bullying but because of their religious identity. Islamic children face stereotyping and
a feeling of invisibility, along with being rejected on playgrounds and in social circles. For
traditional female Muslim children, wearing a hijab increases the likelihood of being excluded
and becoming the targets of bullies. This problem adds one more factor to the issue of bullying
facing American children. Any characteristic seen as different simply makes a student an easy
target for the aggressor (Farooqui & Kaushik, 2021).
Strategic Plan
Bullying has finally moved beyond being considered as a common problem or something
that should just be accepted as part of a childhood or adolescent experience. As a result, there
have been studies conducted regarding the best means to handle the issue. One of the strategies
that has been considered regards the parenting and the home life of the bully. A study of
teenagers found that those who had parents that provided a structured and caring homelife were
much less likely to commit any acts of aggression against their peers (Hinduja & Patchin, 2022).
On the other hand, the same study found that adolescents whose parents displayed coercive
tendencies or did not show regular affection toward their child were much more likely to show
cyberbullying and traditional bullying tendencies. Improved parenting practices could be
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encouraged to develop a healthy relationship between parents and their children (Hinduja &
Patchin, 2022).
Parents also come into play regarding youth, substance abuse, and bullying. Intervention
programs help to prevent and focus on substance use among adolescents. These programs can
also be used to address bullying and how drinking or using controlled substances can affect
bullying. The use of substances may lead an individual to believe that they will not be caught so
they feel free to target anyone seen as different. At the same time, those victimized by bullies
may resort to drug use as a form of coping with the abuse inflicted by the bully (Lee, et al.,
2020). It was discovered that since the No Child Left Behind Act was passed over twenty years
ago, there has been an increase in both anti-bullying legislation and anti-bullying intervention
programs across the country. One analysis reported that since this act was passed there has been
a decrease of almost 20% of victimization (Lee, et al., 2020). However, this does not target the
full problem. The intervention programs that are in place address bullying as a whole. There
needs to be an increase in approaches to handle cyberbullying and address bullying relating to
gender, race, and religion, along with a closer inspection of how drugs and alcohol alter the
situation (Lee, et al., 2020).
Bullying prevention programs should not just be aimed to help those at the adolescent
stage though. It has been suggested in studies that intervention should begin at a much younger
age. Intervention programs could aid in improving the environment both of potential aggressors
and victims. The victims would know the signs to watch for and those who could be bullies
would be able to see the danger (Iyanda, 2022). One thing that is important is for the
interventions to pay attention to showing children how to develop safe and happy relationships
with each other. This is particularly important for children who have lived in an abusive
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household. If they can learn how to develop healthy relationships, it can lead to a decreased
prevalence of either being a bully or a victim (Lee, et al., 2022).
Bystander intervention is another strategy employed to combat bullying. This can have
varied effects as those involved have different reactions to what they notice based on how the
situation is perceived. To accept responsibility for the issue one must identify the situation as
problem that needs assistance, know what needs to be done, and actually act to intervene in what
is occurring. In order to be successful in the task, one must undergo training to know what
triggers to monitor and know how to report an incident and seek help. This strategy can have
both positive and negative results in that it is dependent on how someone perceives an issue and
if they are willing to react. On the positive side, by acting as mediator between a bully and a
victim, the bystander saved the victim from one more count of trauma (Nickerson, et al., 2022).
When bullying takes place within the school, the school has used school suspensions to
punish the perpetrator. However, bullying is a practice that is more repetitive and intentional, and
using suspension as punishment will not significantly address the problem. Bullying needs a
much more intrinsic prevention and intervention program that addresses the actual problem and
does not just inflict punishment (Gage, et al., 2019). Schools can also assist with programs
against cyberbullying. Bullies are often enabled through social media. Schools can develop
programs that combine no-bullying contracts, empathy training, and journaling to help alter these
behaviors. This can result in a better academic environment with less bullying and fewer students
affected by the mental and academic issues resulting from bullying (Hicks, et al., 2019).
Therefore, following this pattern of not simply inflicting punishment, schools can assist
students in dealing with the underlying issues that are leading them to target other students. This
will help the students successfully complete their education. In this manner, the instructors and
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students will be able to work together and support each other. Using a method such as this looks
at and individual needs. Addressing underlying problems helps lead to an environment with
reduced bad behavior and need for having to move toward punishment (Barsky, 2017).
Perhaps the most positive approach to combat bullying in schools involves creating a
school atmosphere that includes responsibility and respect. This intervention is focused on the
entire school. The program does not simply wait until a problem presents itself. One suggestion
is for the school to develop a committee that includes parents, teachers, administrators, and
students. The committee will create a list of core values for the school, such as accountability,
respect, and inclusion. This will help encourage those in the school to see themselves as part of a
group and not just as individuals. The values of the committee will extend to classes and clubs
within the school who will then make up their own values and rules (Barsky, 2017).
For this type of environment to succeed, teachers and administrators must ensure that
accountability and compassion are included in all interactions with the students. The positive
conditions of the school will help deter the negativity used in targeting students for bullying as
everyone is made to feel included. Teachers and administrators will have to undergo training so
that they will know how to respond when conflict does arise. The school may appoint students to
serve as ambassadors who are trained to recognize when a situation is being difficult. The
ambassadors could be used to work with both the student being bullied and the bully if needed
(Barsky,2017).
Conclusion
Bullying and cyberbullying is a serious issue in the United States. There has been a
reduction in traditional bullying recently. However, the increase in cyberbullying has quickly
replaced this decrease. As technology as increased and the number of social media platforms has
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multiplied, people have become more susceptible to invisible perpetrators as bullies can mask
their identities online. Intervention programs can assist with both bullies and victims if the
program is implemented at the right time and place. Remember, “O Lord, you alone ae my hope.
I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood” (New Living Translation, 1996).
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