After a downtick earlier in the decade, U.S. high school students are reporting an increase in bullying at school, according to the “Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Data Summary & Trends Report 2013-2023” released in August by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Tompkins County schools, 1 in 4 students report being bullied on school property
The report said that 19 percent of survey respondents reported being bullied at school, compared to 15 percent in the 2021 YRBS survey. The figure was slightly lower than the 20 percent who reported being a victim of bullying on school property back in 2013.
Twenty-two percent of female students and 29 percent of those identifying as LGBTQ+, compared to 17 percent of male students, reported being bullied at school.
The percentage of males and females reporting school bullying in 2023 compared to 2021 increased from 13 percent to 17 percent, and 17 percent to 22 percent, respectively. The percentage of LGBTQ+ students reporting school bullying jumped from 23 percent to 29 percent.
The percentage of students reporting cyberbullying has remained very constant over the past 10 years, fluctuating between 15 percent and 16 percent. Female and LGBTQ+ students, 21 percent and 25 percent, respectively, were about twice as likely to be bullied online than male students (12 percent).
The national data show that 23 percent of white teens, 21 percent of multiracial teens, 17 percent of American Indian teens, 16 percent of Hispanic teens, 14 percent of Black teens, and 11 percent of Asian teens, reported being bullied at school.
The survey showed that 20 percent of white teens, 18 percent of multiracial teens, 15 percent of American Indian teens, 14 percent of Hispanic teens, 13 percent of Asian teens, and 11 percent of Black teens experienced cyberbullying.
In Tompkins County, youth bullying appears more prevalent than the national average, according to the Community-Level Youth Development Evaluation (CLYDE) survey of students in grades 7-12 in 2023.
According to the survey, 27.4 percent of the Tompkins students reported being bullied at school and 20 percent reported being cyberbullied.
The 2023 figures represented a jump from the data reported in the previous 2021 CLYDE survey. Students reporting being bullied at school increased from 21.2 percent to 27.4 percent; those reporting cyberbullying dipped slightly from 20.8 percent to 20 percent.
READ: Bullying Prevention Month Activities in Tompkins County
The CLYDE survey numbers may skew higher in part because, unlike the national YRBS, the Tompkins data includes 7th and 8th graders who register bullying experiences anywhere from five to 15 percentage points higher than high schoolers.
Indeed, the highest percentages for Tompkins school bullying and cyberbullying were among middle school students; 34.7 percent and 39 percent of 7th and 8th grade students, respectively, reported being bullied at school. Similarly, 23.8 percent and 25 percent, respectively, reported being cyberbullied.
Those numbers represent a notable increase since the 2021 CLYDE survey, when 29 percent and 24.6 percent of 7th and 8th graders, respectively, reported school bullying; and 23 percent and 22.4 percent reported being cyberbullied.
Broken down by gender and race in the CLYDE survey, being a victim of bullying at school was reported by 36.6 percent of all other gender identities, 36.3 percent of Black girls, 34.8 percent of all American Indian youth, 33.9 percent of all Black youth, 29 percent of all girls, 25.9 percent of all Hispanic youth, 24.8 percent of all males, and 19.3 percent of all Asian youth.
Being a victim of cyberbullying was reported by 28.3 percent of Black girls, 27 percent of all American Indians, 24.6 percent of all Black youth, 24.3 percent of all girls, 19.5 percent of Hispanic youth, 19 percent of all other gender identities, and 16.2 percent of all males, and 16.2 percent of all Asian youth.
The CDC defines youth bullying as “any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths who are not siblings or current dating partners that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated.” The CDC says that bullying may inflict harm or distress on the targeted youth including physical, psychological, social, or educational harm.
According to stopbullying.gov, a website operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the relationship between bullying and suicide is complex. The website says 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. But most young people who die by suicide have multiple risk factors, the website says.
Concerned about bullying? To contact or join the Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force, email The Sophie Fund at: thesophiefund2016@gmail.com
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