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FACTS ABOUT BULLYING

This section pulls together fundamental information about bullying, including:

 * Definition
 * Research on Bullying
 * Bullying Statistics
 * Bullying and Suicide
 * Anti-Bullying Laws


DEFINITION OF BULLYING

In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Department of Education released
the first federal definition of bullying. The definition includes three core
elements:

 * unwanted aggressive behavior
 * observed or perceived power imbalance
 * repetition or high likelihood of repetition of bullying behaviors

This definition helps determine whether an incident is bullying or another type
of aggressive behavior or both.


RESEARCH ON BULLYING

Bullying prevention is a growing research field that investigates the
complexities and consequences of bullying. Important areas for more research
include:

 * Prevalence of bullying in schools
 * Prevalence of cyberbullying in online spaces
 * How bullying affects people
 * Risk factors for people who are bullied, people who bully others, or both
 * How to prevent bullying
 * How media and media coverage affects bullying


WHAT WE’VE LEARNED ABOUT BULLYING

 * Bullying affects all youth, including those who are bullied, those who bully
   others, and those who witness bullying. The effects of bullying may continue
   into adulthood.
 * There is not a single profile of a young person involved in bullying. Youth
   who bully can be either well connected socially or marginalized, and may be
   bullied by others as well. Similarly, those who are bullied sometimes bully
   others.
 * Solutions to bullying are not simple. Bullying prevention approaches that
   show the most promise confront the problem from many angles. They involve the
   entire school community—students, families, administrators, teachers, and
   staff such as bus drivers, nurses, cafeteria and front office staff—in
   creating a culture of respect. Zero tolerance and expulsion are not effective
   approaches.
 * Bystanders, or those who see bullying, can make a huge difference when they
   intervene on behalf of someone being bullied.
 * Studies also have shown that adults can help prevent bullying by talking to
   children about bullying, encouraging them to do what they love, modeling
   kindness and respect, and seeking help.


BULLYING STATISTICS

Here are federal statistics about bullying in the United States. Data sources
include the school year 2021–22 School Crime Supplement (National Center for
Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics) and the 2023  Youth Risk
Behavior Surveillance System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).


HOW COMMON IS BULLYING

 * About 19.2% of students ages 12-18 enrolled in grades 6-12 experienced
   bullying nationwide during the 2021-2022 school year. This is lower than the
   prevalence of bullying at the beginning of the last decade, during the
   2010-2011 school year (28%), and lower than the prevalence last measured by
   the School Crime Supplement during the 2018-2019 school year (22%).
   * About 15.4% of students reported being bullied by a student who was more
     powerful than them in some way, 14.5% reported being bullied repeatedly,
     and 12.7% reported being bullied repeatedly by a student who was more
     powerful than them in some way.
   * The prevalence of bullying is higher in middle school (26.3%) than in high
     school (15.7%).
   * The prevalence of bullying is higher among female students (21.8%) than
     among male students (16.7%).
 * Students ages 12–18 in grades 6-12 who reported being bullied said they
   thought those who bullied them:
   * Had the ability to influence what other students think of them (56.3%).
   * Were more popular (52%).
   * Were physically stronger or larger (39.7%).
   * Had more money (35.2%).
 * Among students ages 12-18 in grades 6-12 who reported being bullied, roughly
   2 in 3 reported being bullied on multiple days during the school year:
   * One day (32.5%)
   * Two days (17.6%)
   * Three to ten days (31.5%)
   * More than ten days (18.5%)


BULLYING IN SCHOOLS

 * An estimated 19% of high school students were bullied on school property in
   the 12 months prior to the survey.
 * Among students ages 12-18 in grades 6-12 who reported being bullied, the
   following percentages of them had experienced bullying in these places at
   school:
   * Classroom (39%)
   * Hallway or stairwell (37.5%)
   * Cafeteria (25.1%)
   * Outside on school grounds (24.4%)
   * Online or by text (21.6%)
   * Bathroom or locker room (11.9%)
   * In a gymnasium or weight room (10.8%)
   * School bus (9.8%)
 * Approximately 44.2% of students ages 12-18 in grades 6-12 who were bullied
   during the school year notified an adult at school about the bullying.


CYBERBULLYING

 * Among students ages 12-18 in grades 6-12 who reported being bullied at school
   during the school year, 21.6% were bullied online or by text.
   * Among those who were bullied, nearly twice as many female students reported
     being bullied online or by text (27.7%) as compared with male students
     (14.1%).
 * An estimated 16% of high school students were electronically bullied in the
   12 months prior to the survey.
   * Nearly twice as many female students reported being electronically bullied
     (21%) as compared with male students (12%).


TYPES OF BULLYING

 * Students ages 12-18 in grades 6-12 experienced various types of bullying,
   including:
 * Having rumors spread about them (13%)
 * Being made fun of, called names, or insulted (11.9%)
 * Pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on (4.9%)
 * Being excluded from activities, social media, or communications (3.7%)
 * Threatened with harm (3.3%)
 * Having private information, photos, or videos purposely shared in a hurtful
   way (2.5%)
 * Others tried to make them do things they did not want to do (2.5%)
 * Property was destroyed on purpose (1.4%)


STATE AND LOCAL STATISTICS

Follow these links for state and local figures on the following topics:

 * Bullied on School Property, Grades 9-12
 * Cyberbullied, Grades 9-12


INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS

According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics:

 * One third of the globe’s youth is bullied; this ranges from as low as 7% in
   Tajikistan to 74% in Samoa.
 * Low socioeconomic status is a main factor in youth bullying within wealthy
   countries.
 * Immigrant-born youth in wealthy countries are more likely to be bullied than
   locally-born youth.


BULLYING AND SUICIDE

The relationship between bullying and suicide is complex. The media should avoid
oversimplifying these issues and insinuating or directly stating that bullying
can cause suicide. The facts tell a different story. It is not accurate and
potentially dangerous to present bullying as the “cause” or “reason” for a
suicide, or to suggest that suicide is a natural response to bullying.

 * Research indicates that persistent bullying can lead to or worsen feelings of
   isolation, rejection, exclusion, and despair, as well as depression and
   anxiety, which can contribute to suicidal behavior.
 * The vast majority of young people who are bullied do not become suicidal.
 * Most young people who die by suicide have multiple risk factors.
 * For more information on the relationship between bullying and suicide, read
   “The Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide: What We Know and What it
   Means for Schools” from the CDC.


ANTI-BULLYING LAWS

All states have anti-bullying legislation. When bullying is also harassment and
happens in the school context, schools have a legal obligation to respond to it
according to federal laws.

Date Last Reviewed
October 9, 2024
 
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