Is It Bullying? By: Krista Beard Arkansas State University krista.beard@smail.astate.edu

Questions to Consider If you were asked to define bullying could you? What makes an action bullying? Could you reminisce on what bullying was like when you were a child? Has it changed? Are we doing what we can to prevent it? How do we help your child?

Bullying Definition Bullying is often defined as unwanted aggressive behavior or actions intimidating someone to do something that they do not want to do. The action is often repeated to a point of becoming a habit and making one feel superior over another.

Bullying Prevention Act In accordance with A.C.A. § 6-18-514, all public school students have the right to receive their education in an environment that is reasonably free from substantial intimidation, harassment, or harm or threat of harm by another student, in person or by electronic means.

What is Bullying? Bullying is any action that forces a person to do something they do not want to do. Bullying can be direct or indirect. Bullying is one of the biggest problems in school systems today. Because of bullying many children, teens, and adults lose their life every year.

Why Bully? To feel superior The victim set themselves up for it. As a source of entertainment They are different. Feel the victim deserves it To fit in. To show off Everyone else is doing it. Boredom Online it is just that easy.

Bullying Over the Years 2011 9 out of 10 teenagers witnessed a form of online bullying. 2014 Showed a decline to 7 out of 10 teenagers saying they witnessed some form of bullying. Does this mean bullying has really declined? Today more and more children are bullied and do not report it.

Warning Signs of Bullying Sudden loss of friends or avoiding social functions. A decline in grades. Loss in things of interest. Unexplainable or sudden injuries. This can include bruises and broken bones. Displaying feelings of helplessness and self esteem. Changes in eating habits and hygiene habits.

Prevention in Schools To help prevent bullying in schools rules are put in place from the very beginning. Students should be aware that no form of bullying will be tolerated. We must be aware of the signs bullying is occurring. Also we must know tactics to intervene on bullying and be ready to use those at any point in time. Most importantly respond quickly so that the situation does not get out of hand.

Online Bullying With the generation we are in cyberbullying is a huge problem. Cyberbullying is a rising epidemic in which more and more children are being bullied everyday. This is a form in which… The attacker can hide behind the screen. Others will not always directly know it is them. There are so many forms of social media in which the attacker can bully. Who can stop you if they do not know who it is.

Why not ask for help? Bullying can make one feel helpless and not in control of the situation. Out of fear and possible backlash from the bully. Not wanting to seem weak. Rejection Humiliation Not wanting to be punished. The sad truth is that this is why many cases of bullying go unreported each and every year.

Unreported Unreported means that many children, adolescents, and even adults may experience one or another form of bullying, without anyone to help. Often this leads to feelings of being alone Depression Loss of interest And even death, which occurs in high numbers each year.

Lets Stop Bullying Be open to talking about bullying with your children. Respond to the acts of bullying quickly letting the child know the behavior is unacceptable. Work with your schools and communities to create and implement anti bullying programs. Be a support system to those who have been bullied.

References For more information refer to these websites. https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/WhatIsBullying/Pages/Types-of-bullying.aspx https://nobullying.com/types-of-bullying-in-schools/ http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-statistics.html https://nobullying.com/bullying-statistics/ http://www.arkansased.gov/public/userfiles/Communications/Safe%20Schools%20Committee/6-18- 501_through_6-18-516.pdf http://www.arkansased.gov/divisions/communications/safety/anti-bullying Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUAbAKee0Cw Pictures come from Bing online pictures.