Not many parents or guardians know exactly how many teens are bullied each year. It’s such a huge problem that many mental health centers offer teen treatment programs for bullying.
When parents, school staff, and other adults respond consistently to bullying behavior, they send the message to children and teens that it’s unacceptable. Studies show that this response can stop bullying behavior over time. However, working to build a safe school environment and a community-wide bullying prevention strategy doesn’t help teens that have already been or are currently being bullied. Looking for teen treatment programs for bullying in Colorado? Contact Imagine Fort Collins today by calling 888.291.2309 or reaching out to our team online.
How Many Teens Are Bullied Each Year?
Sometimes, it takes a look at teen bullying statistics in the United States for someone to take the problem seriously. About 20% of American students aged 12–18 have experienced being bullied. These bullied students also said that they thought their bullies:
- Could influence other students’ perceptions of them
- Had more money
- Had more social influence
- Were physically stronger or larger
More than 45% of these bullied students notified an adult at school about the bullying. It makes sense that students inform school staff first instead of parents or other authorities in their lives. Almost 20% of American students in grades 9–12 report being bullied in various areas at their respective schools, such as:
- Bathroom or locker room
- Cafeteria
- Classroom
- Hallway or stairwell
- Outside on school grounds
What Are Some Other Teen Bullying Statistics That Parents and Guardians Should Know?
Parents and guardians typically assume that bullying behavior is the same as it was when they were teens, and the experiences of students aged 12–18 these days do include the following:
- About 13% report being made fun of, called names, or insulted
- Almost 2% report that bullies tried to make them do things they did not want to do
- Almost 4% report being threatened with harm
- More than 13% report being the subject of rumors or lies
- More than 1% report that their property was destroyed on purpose
- More than 5% report being left out or excluded
- More than 5% report being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on
However, about 15% of these students also report being bullied through texting or elsewhere online. This is called cyberbullying. It’s a type of bullying behavior that can occur through texting and messaging in apps. It can also occur in private messages or in full view of a teen’s followers on social media, other members of an online forum, or other gamers in a game. Basically, it can happen anywhere on the internet where people can view, participate in, or share content. But both the teen being bullied and the bully must typically have access to a digital device—like a smartphone, a tablet, or a computer—for cyberbullying to happen.
Cyberbullying includes posting or sending false, harmful, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal information about someone else with the public, which can cause embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying behavior crosses the line into criminal or unlawful behavior.
When Should You Consider a Teen Treatment Program for Bullying?
Bullied teens feel more than short-lived or temporary emotional pain. Bullying behavior can affect not only emotional well-being but also physical health and social wellness.
As bullying behavior can challenge and even disrupt social structures, it could affect a teen’s relationships with friends, other students in school, and even school staff and other authority figures. Bullying behavior can even affect a teen’s relationships with family members. Unresolved relational conflict can also lead to poorer academic performance, which can affect a teen’s future. They can even develop attachment issues that they’ll carry through their adulthood. A teen who’s been bullied may also internalize negative messages about themselves that they’ve heard from bullies, which can take a toll on their self-esteem.
Teen treatment programs for bullying not only intervene in school bullying but also teach teens how to prevent future bullying and how to cope properly with the effects of bullying behavior in their lives. Learning healthier coping mechanisms and better communication strategies helps teens practice how to stand up to bullies without feeling defeated or weak. Instead, they learn how to put themselves first and how to be assertive.
Ready to Learn More About Imagine Fort Collins’s Teen Treatment Programs for Bullying?
If you’re searching for teen treatment programs for bullying in Colorado, contact Imagine Fort Collins today. Call 888.291.2309 or reach out to our team online.