Teen Bullying Research Paper

In every school across the United States, children experience bullying on a day-to-day basis. The intensity of bullying varies, but the harmful effects clearly gain clarity and prevalence in the news recently, with a major focus on teen suicide. However, teen suicide is not the only effect of the harmful bullying seen in classrooms across the nation. A surprising amount of other damaging effects easily present themselves when scouring hundreds of articles across the internet, from a variety of reputable sources. If caregivers of children think, even for a moment, that bullying does not in some way affect their child’s life, these parents and caretakers need a rude awakening. Lack of education on this subject and frequent complacent behavior …show more content…
Depression presents itself as a frequent occurrence in children and teens after having been affected by bullying, due to feelings of isolation, insecurities, and lower self-esteem. Depression itself is not only emotional, but also prompts physical effects such as fatigue, lack of appetite and trouble sleeping, which leads to other medical issues. In addition, children, teens and pre-teens constantly worrying about the possibility of being bullied either during or after classroom time results in increased anxiety, which leads to anxiety disorders if not properly treated by a medical professional, including psychologists and psychiatrists. Due to the physically and emotionally abusive nature of bullying, victims of this practice have an “increased risk of depression, anxiety disorders and other psychological consequences (Miller)”. One often overlooked increasingly frequent area of bullying, is bullying by food allergy. In Miller’s article, she cites from “the journal Pediatrics, nearly half of the 251 food allergic kids reported being bullied, and nearly one-third were bullied because of their allergies.” Consider a lunchroom for a moment. Each of these food allergens are readily available to any bully who wishes to use that food against an allergic child. If done, these children experience a myriad of psychological issues, in addition to possible …show more content…
An ominous hallway, causing anxiety already after entering, presents itself as just one disaster zone within school walls to bullied students. During the time it takes from walk to classroom to classroom, a bully gains opportunity by each passing minute, with an “accidental” knockout, whom no fellow classmate speak out against due to fear, or a trip that causes dental damage to front teeth that need immediate emergency dental care, or even something as horrifying as, without conscience, super-glue being maliciously poured onto the hair and head of another innocent student in the hall. Such was the incredibly painful, horrifying experience that Hannah Combs encountered one fateful day in 2015. According to the article, Hannah recounted that “it instantly started burning” and “felt like my head was on fire” after the super glue reacted with Hannah’s treasured hair and scalp (Dwyer). Not only did Hannah experience first-degree chemical burns on her scalp, but she also had to shave half of her head in order to remove the remaining super glue. The monstrously barbaric behavior of the bully was only punished with an in-school suspension. On the contrary, skeptics state that bullying like this occurs infrequently and is more of a right-of-passage when growing up. There is no truth to that statement. These