To many seventh through twelfth-grade students at Yutan High School, there is a constant feeling of needing to fit in.  While this pressure is felt by everyone to some degree, some students have taken to bullying to “fit in.” According to Oxford Definitions, bullying is the intention to harm, either physically or mentally, another individual whom the bully finds vulnerable. Even though bullying is definitely not a new issue, it has become more noticeable here in the past semester, and it needs to stop.

Bullying can happen anywhere and to anyone, even though it may not be easily noticed by students or staff who aren’t directly involved. According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, one out of five students in the U.S. have reported being bullied. To these students, the main acts of bullying were being called names or being the subject of a rumor. Besides being bullied in person, students could get bullied from social media in the form of cyberbullying, which is part of the problem at Yutan High School. 

While I have not witnessed another student get bullied physically, I have heard rumors about other students, which quickly spread around the school. Even if the rumor spread isn’t true, it can still greatly affect the person being bullied. These rumors and other acts of bullying can cause a student’s self-confidence to quickly decrease, leading to many negative effects. 

 According to stopbullying.gov, students who have been bullied can suffer from depression, anxiety, physical health problems, decreased academic participation, substance abuse and even suicide. There are also many effects that can occur to the person who is bullying, like being abusive or having criminal convictions in the near future. Even bystanders can suffer from the effects of bullying, with increased mental health problems and increased feelings of helplessness. 

From my experience, bullying can majorly affect the environment of the school. As peers, we are supposed to support each other through ups and downs. Recently, we have been tearing each other down. Bullying creates a tense environment for everyone at school, and it may even get to a point where some students might not feel comfortable coming to school. According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, students who have experienced bullying have an increased risk for lower academic achievement and even dropping out of school. 

Whether you are a student, teacher or parent, there are many different ways to prevent bullying. According to stopbullying.gov, both teachers and parents can help students understand bullying more by stating why it is unacceptable. Also, they can be role models in showing students how to treat others with kindness, as well as letting the students know that they can always talk to a trusted adult about their concerns. While teachers have done a good job at doing this, there should be an increased awareness about bullying because of how much it has occurred at Yutan recently.