Do you personally feel like in-school bullying is getting worse? Better? Or has stayed the same over the past few decades?

Question

Curious on others perspectives. 
Back when I was in High School I rarely saw bullying happen. I could have easily been oblivious living in my own teenage world, but me and my friends (who would be considered outliers, people easily looked over) never had issues with bullying. 
Now that I am a parent with a child in High School and one in Elementary School I get to see what is happening in school with the help of social media. I feel like every week a new parent is posting about issues with bullying in the school. The first week of school, supposedly our middle school had 3 separate physical fights break out. 
So I am unsure if it feels like it’s only getting worse because social media is helping bring it all to light, or if it’s truly getting worse!  
Side note: personally, I feel like it is getting worse. It breaks my heart that I feel like there hasn’t been a steady decrease as I feel like more parents have adopted the gentle parenting technique (I am one). That more parents preach inclusion, acceptance, and anti-bullying… yet it’s still a very big issue in schools.

Answer

I’d say worse because now social media exists 
Now you can’t escape at home or school

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I think the amount of bullies is slightly higher but I think the actual bullying is worse. When I was a child if you got bullied it was in person and in school. Now you get bullied at school and then via many social media platforms and people who may not have joined in in person feel bolder to do it online. The bullying can be 24/7 where ever you go instead of just part of a school day. I think there are more bullies but I believe the bigger issue is the ways bullying can take place now

Answer

This isn’t really an opinion issue. It’s been well researched. Particularly since 2016 bullying in schools has drastically increased. Anger and violent radical political ideology trickles down to students. Who would have guessed right? 
NPR has covered it, and The Southern Poverty Law Center has a large document on the topic that’s well worth the time to read.  It’s way too long to post, but I screenshot the cover image if anyone is interested in pulling it up.

Answer

I think it’s better. Much better actually. My parents tell me awful awful stories about things that happened when they were at school and didn’t even get punished for it.

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It has enormously increased and is a big factor in the mass exodus from public schools the past few years. More and more families are choosing to go without two incomes, sacrificing a LOT of money, to be able to have one parent at home to homeschool. Children in elementary schools are literally contemplating and even committing suicide. Little kids. Babies. Because of relentless torment. My oldest starts elementary school next year…but I’m honestly considering forgoing work and homeschooling.

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Hmm, I would say the same only because in my high school bullying was at an all time high, and as of right now in today’s age, I’m not seeing much of a difference at all.

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Our local middle school has had 13 fights already.

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As a middle school teacher, I will say I think social media is the root of a lot of issues we see with adolescents today. My partner and I have decided our children will not have smart phones till at least high school, and no social media for as long as we can keep them off. Definitely not in middle school!

Answer

I’d say it’s worse because of social media. Before you’d go to school get bullied there then go home and you were away from it. But now you get bullied at school go home and it’s all over your phone 24/7

Answer

I think we hear about it more because of social media. It’s always been there. I graduated in 2005. I remember writing on a HS blog, like black background with green writing that someone who knew C++ created and people attacked one another. Middle school we had a journal we passed around with gossip written in it. 
Technology has increased it significantly for sure too.

Do you personally feel like in-school bullying is getting worse? Better? Or has stayed the same over the past few decades?

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