Will bullying always exist?

Bullying will possibly always exist as several people do not take traditional bullying and or cyberbullying seriously. However, we all know that traditional bullying and/or cyberbullying is a huge matter brushed under the rug for years by students who could be victims, perpetrators who engage in traditional bullying and/or cyberbullying, school teachers, administrators, school staff, and at times parents. Several people feel like traditional bullying was a rite of passage. However, that assumption is quite detrimental to some students or victims who may not fully recover or get past their traumatic experience with traditional bullying and/or cyberbullying. Recently, more research studies are sharing that there has been an outrageous influx in the number of adolescents who are attempting or committing suicide because of traditional bullying and the rise in cases of cyberbullying. Researchers reported that the third leading cause of death for individuals between 10 and 24 was unfortunately due to suicide.

Bullying may always exist, but it does not mean that students, parents, teachers, administrators, support staff, and or members of the community need to work hard and diligently to make sure that there are consequences and or disciplinary actions for individuals who choose to engage in traditional bullying and or cyberbullying. The schools are usually the number one place that traditional bullying and cyberbullying occur. Therefore, the school system needs to come up with strict policy and procedures that are put in place and effectively executed if a student engages in traditional bullying and or cyberbullying after proper training and examples are given to the students for them to get a better understanding of what traditional bullying and cyberbullying looks like. Once students are given a clear and precise understanding of what traditional bullying and cyberbullying look like, and they still choose to engage in traditional bullying and or cyberbullying, then the school or local law enforcement should follow up with the designed consequence for the action.  Consequences in the school can include but are limited to the following: disciplinary actions if the traditional bullying and/or cyberbullying occurred on campus, and parents have the right to contact local law enforcement if the traditional bullying and/or cyberbullying happened off-campus.