Garcia

Stephanie Garcia

Professor Olivas

English 101

29 July 2021

Bullying

Bullying has existed among different people worldwide for a long time. However, the problem is more pronounced today than in the past since people have discovered and developed new ways to bully their victims. For instance, in the former years, bullying was done physically or verbally, and the perpetrator could engage their victim face to face. However, in the current times, people bully others virtually, a concept known as cyberbullying. Such bullying occurs over digital technologies such as social media and messaging applications. Unknown to many people, bullying affects one’s emotional growth, and their mental wellbeing deteriorates significantly. Still, children exposed to bullying at a tender age may suffer depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and frequent dropping out of school. Thus, parents, teachers, and other relevant authorities should develop and adopt effective strategies to prevent bullying among all people, including children and adults, to reduce the adverse impacts of the vice.

Society can eliminate bullying by imposing substantial penalties for the perpetrators of such wrong actions. Some scholars believe the only way to handle bullying of any kind is by punishing the perpetrator. For instance, according to Smith (2019), punishing a bully will make them realize their mistake and may help prevent repeated actions in the future (12). He highlights how teachers should handle bullies by denying them their playtime, giving them detention, or scolding them. On the contrary, authorities can stop bullying among adults by imposing penalties such as serving a jail term or paying significant fines depending on their wrongdoing. For instance, there are rising cases of bullying at workplaces where employees and employers attack their colleagues physically, verbally, and online for their own malicious gains. People can eliminate such behavior by punishing the perpetrators using the most appropriate approach available.

However, schools may have authority over their students only when they are within the school premises. Thus when they bully others outside of the school, the teachers may not have the mandate to punish them for their wrongdoings. Such laws may encourage bullying since the perpetrators will avoid their deserved punishment if they engage in the bullying actions away from the school. Hence, parents need to take action against their children who engage in bullying others. Such a move will reduce the undesirable consequences of bullying among adolescents and older adults. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2020), approximately 3.2 million students undergo bullying annually, resulting in isolation, suicide, depression, and reduced self-esteem (1). Involving parents directly in developing appropriate solutions may aid in combating the vice.

Punishing bullies may not be the ideal solution to the problem, especially among young children since they may feel attacked. Such a move may aggravate the issue since the perpetrators become angrier and might take it out on their victims and others. Alternatively, educating the bullies to understand their actions are wrong can aid in solving the bullying problem. According to Nassem (2019), bullies need to get educated about bullying since most of them may not be aware of the adverse impact of their behavior (48). For instance, if children bully others by excluding them from their groups and constantly picking on them, they may not know the likely outcomes of their actions; hence it would be reasonable to approach the perpetrators lovingly and advise them accordingly. Still, children bullying others may have significant challenges prompting them to behave undesirably towards other classmates. Therefore, it is prudent for the teachers and parents to understand the underlying causes of a child’s bullying behavior to adopt the most appropriate solution.

Parents and teachers need to train the children about dealing with bullying to ensure they do not suffer the dire effects of the vice. For instance, one can learn about cyberbullying and how to identify it since many people may not realize they are victims of the uncalled for attacks. Still, children should learn how to react to bullies and report the problem. Such insights may aid in preventing depression and reducing suicide cases among victims of bullying. Additionally, the government can organize training sessions for educators and parents on effectively avoiding and dealing with bullying among their children. According to the American Institutes for Research (2021), training educators can significantly reduce bullying by creating a respectful and safe environment for children (1). Further, employees and other adults can undergo training to learn techniques of dealing with bullying if they fall victims.

Bullying can significantly affect the victims if people fail to adhere to the necessary steps of eliminating the problem. Thus, the relevant personnel must develop appropriate solutions for the vice to reduce its dire impacts on the victims and society. Punishing the victims may be a solution to the issue, but it may not solve the problem significantly. Still, teaching victims to stand up for themselves may encourage bullying since they can turn and attack their perpetrators, causing more problems. Thus, the effective measures would be to educate the bullies about the dangers of their actions and teach the children how to identify and report cases of bullying.

Works Cited

American Institutes for Research, “Bullying Prevention Training Center.” Stopbullying.Gov, 2021. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Nassem, Elizabeth. The Teacher’s Guide to Resolving School Bullying: Evidence-based Strategies and Pupil-led Interventions. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2019.

National Center for Education Statistics. “Bullying: Fast Facts.” 2020. U.S. Department of Education.

Smith, Peter K., ed. Making an impact on school bullying: Interventions and recommendations. Routledge, 2019.

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