In the United States, the definition of bullying has expanded beyond

traditional notions of a bigger, stronger child picking on a smaller, weaker

victim and typically includes four key elements. The first part of the
definition now includes significant physical, emotional, or psychological harm
to the victim. The second is the inability of the victim to stop the bully on his
or her own. The third is a power imbalance in which the bully holds more
emotional, physical, or social influence than the victim. The last is repetitive
actions committed by the bully that continue for an extended period.

divide bullying behavior into four main types:

 Physical bullying: Bullies physically assault their victims or

intimidate their victims with the threat of physical violence.

 Verbal bullying: Bullies mock, shame, and verbally abuse victims

with the intent of causing fear or feelings of self-deprecation.
 Social or emotional bullying: Bullies initiate or spread harmful
gossip, or intentionally exclude others with the intent of harming
or destroying the victim's reputation or social standing.
 Cyberbullying: Bullies use electronic media, including social
networks, instant messaging, text messaging, Internet forums,
smartphone applications, and email (among other media) to
target victims with text-based equivalents of verbal bullying, or
social or emotional forms of bullying.
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2018,
bullying is a common phenomenon in US schools. According to the report,
one in five high school students reported being bullied on school grounds in
the twelve-month period prior to being surveyed. Victimization rates are
higher for female students (22 percent) than male students (16 percent). A
2018 report from the National Center for Education Statistics found higher
victimization rates among middle school students (30 percent of sixth
graders and 25 percent of eighth graders) than older students (15 percent of
eleventh graders and 12 percent of twelfth graders). Differences were also
noted among students in urban and nonurban environments, with 18 percent
of students at urban schools, 20 percent of students at suburban schools,
and 27 percent of students at rural schools reporting being bullied. Among
racial and ethnic groups, 27 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native
students, 23 percent of students of two or more races, 23 percent of black
students, 23 percent of white students, 16 percent of Hispanic students, and
7 percent of Asian students reported being bullied.

Impact and Outcomes

The consequences of bullying can be serious and long-lasting. Young
people who are bullied are at increased risk for negative psychological
and emotional impacts including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem,
alcohol and drug abuse, hostility, delinquency, self-harming behavior
(particularly for girls), and violent or criminal behavior (particularly for
boys). Those who are severely bullied are also statistically more likely
to attempt or commit suicide, and studies have shown that suicidal
ideations are particularly common among bully-victims. Bullying can
trigger mental health problems in victims who did not previously have
any, and it can exacerbate problems in young people with existing
mental health issues. Research has also shown that bullying victims
tend to suffer declines in academic performance.

Beyond the risk of injury from a bully's physical attack, victims may
also experience physical symptoms such as sleep disruptions, chronic
pain, and psychosomatic symptoms such as headaches, stomach
aches, heart palpitations, and dizziness. Bullying victims also tend to
produce higher levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol, which
can interfere with normal brain function. Some researchers theorize
that heightened cortisol levels may explain some of the behavioral
issues associated with victimization, such as acting out and showing
aggression toward peers, siblings, or parents.

Prevention and Intervention

Experts often refer to a phenomenon known as the bystander
effect to help explain why witnesses may not intervene to stop a bully
from harassing a victim. A bystander is understood to be someone
who is aware that bullying is taking place, but takes no action to stop
it, chooses not to report it, or ignores it altogether.

The bystander effect usually occurs as the result of one or more of

four factors: the witness believes that the incident is not their concern
or none of their business and thus elects not to get involved; the
witness believes, correctly or incorrectly, that intervening may draw
negative attention from the bully and make the witness more likely to
become the bully's next target; the witness does not want to violate
unwritten codes of conduct among students by telling an authority
figure what is happening; and the witness believes that intervening
will neither stop the bully nor help the victim.

To help counteract the bystander effect, many schools have

introduced what are commonly referred to as bystander intervention
programs. These programs include specific, actionable steps students
are encouraged to take if they witness bullying. They are built on
fostering a general school environment that promotes community
values and interconnectedness, and they teach students the
difference between "telling on someone" and "reporting a pattern of
problem behavior." Such initiatives also work to create empathy
between bystanders and victims, and to set up peer monitoring
networks to prevent bullying when adult supervisors are not present.
They also aim to empower witnesses and bystanders so that they feel
more able to come forward.

Protective strategies recommended by StopBullying.gov, a website of

the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), include
maintaining positive relationships with teachers, building healthy
friendships, and avoiding unsupervised areas of the school or
playground. Recent studies have also given rise to a newer set of
strategies such as using humor to defuse tense interpersonal
situations and having a potential victim "own" or acknowledge a
bully's hurtful statement to reduce its perceived impact. More
traditional responses, including pretending to be unaffected and
walking away from the situation, continue to be recommended.
Responding with aggression or mocking are not recommended, as
either may trigger the bully to escalate the situation.

Antibullying Laws and Policies

In the United States, there are no federal statutes that specifically
address bullying. However, many types of bullying behavior are
covered under existing federal-level harassment and discrimination
laws. Schools can be found legally responsible for student conduct if
bullying is based on gender, sexual orientation, race, religion,
ethnicity, or a physical or mental disability.

Reference:

Scholarly Articles on Bullying in Schools: History & Prevention (gale.com)