Bullying Brinn had many friends as she grew up, but when she reached middle school her friends turned against her. They harassed her about her hair, her teeth, and her clothes. The harassment affected her attendance to school which affected her grades. When she was little, she loved to perform and entertain people, but the bullying caused her to lose her confidence, and she no longer felt comfortable being in front of an audience. Being bullied affected her ability to have friends, and she began to detach from the relationships she had. She thought of herself as ugly and that nobody liked her. She went through middle school with little or no friends. After much emotional healing and mental treatment, she is slowly recovering, but she is still hurting from permanent emotional scars, which will never heal. Bullying occurs throughout the world in all age groups. It results in mental, emotional, and physical effects so society is addressing it through educational and social efforts. First, bullying occurs throughout the world in all age groups. Bullying can be physical but it can also be something like talking behind someone’s back or giving someone a dirty look. Bullying hurts victims and affects their futures. Bullying occurs throughout the world. Bullying isn’t just in the U.S. In fact, “incidents have happened nationwide” (Hayworth 1). Bullying recently has been increasing very quickly. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “In 2005, 28% of students age 12 to 18 reported being bullied in the previous six months” (Mehta 1). The numbers are still increasing. Last year “The Australian Convert Bullying Prevalence Study was commissioned by the Australian Government and conducted by the Child Health Promotion Research Center at Edith Cowan University. It has highlighted the growing problem of convert and cyber bullying affecting Australian schools and their students” (Canberra 1). It has increased a large percentage in a short time. Bullying is increasing so much that it is now around the world “double the figure from four years earlier” (Mehta 1). Bullying is a global issue. Second, Bullying occurs throughout all age groups. One way to measure this is through perceptions. In fact, “160,000 children miss school every day over fear of being bullied” (“Bullying” 102). Bullying is affecting children’s education. Bullying has grown so bad that it is now a major fear of many children. In today’s world, “eight-to-15-year-olds worry more about bullying than about drugs, alcohol and AIDS” (Bitman 1). Bullying has become a huge fear in the past ten years. Bullying has impacted schools so much that “bullying turned out to be the factor in two-thirds of 37 school incidents just because of bullying. In the average school about one hundred and fifty students are experiencing bullying because, “approximately 30 percent of students in grades six through ten are bullied, bullies, or both” (“Bullying” 102). These statistics indicate that nearly everyone will eventually experience bullying. All this bullying results in mental, emotional, and physical effects. It is harmful to its victims but also to the bullies. The effect of bullying sometimes gets so harmful that therapy is sometimes needed to overcome them. Bullying takes a huge toll on those involved.
To begin, bullying results in mental effects. Bullying causes mental problems. It is said that “research shows that bullying adversely affects children’s mental health, academic success and ability to relate to other kids” (Hall 1). Children who develop mental health problems will most likely receive mental treatment in the future. The effects continue into adulthood. Studies show “ of adults who reported being bullied as children, 20 percent said they had lost their confidence, 13 percent reported that it affected their relationships, 9 percent reported they had be suicidal, 8 percent said they had gotten treatment for mental health issues, and 7 percent said it affected their