What Is Bullying?

Bullying has been around as long as children have lived in groups. Often, adults minimize or ignore it, reasoning: "we all have to go through it—I did, and I'm ok" or even "it builds character."

Over the past few decades, however, research has come out indicating that being bullied has enduring negative mental and physical health consequences that can last through adulthood. Especially when the victim of bullying has other stressors in their lives, bullying can increase the risk of suicide. Additionally, student academic performance often suffers, limiting a…