Digital Smarts - Can Learning Why Kids Are Bullied Help Prevent It?

No two cases of bullying are alike and some students are more likely to be bullied than others. That’s what a new survey by the nonprofit organization YouthTruth found after posing questions to more than 180,000 students across 412 schools between 2012 and 2017. Of those surveyed, seventy three percent said that most harassment occurs in person, while 23 percent reported being bullied online. The biggest reason being reported for why the bullying occurred is “how kids looked” and the group that suffers the most, is students who don’t identify with a specific gender. In the world of schools and districts that struggle with policies on bullying, the results may help teachers be more proactive or construct more consistent approaches for preventing abuse.