Across the United States, anti-bullying laws vary greatly in their scope and efficacy, leaving countless school children inadequately protected. Far too often our leaders focus on the symptoms of bullying, rather than how to stop it in its tracks. It is our conviction at JRF that every student in the country deserves to be safe from bullying. The internet and social media websites have made the impact and scope of bullying much wider and more damaging. Our children believe that lies and rumors spread on the internet will be permanent. We support legislation that will hold websites more accountable for responding to complaints by parents and others about damaging content targeting children. 

This need is urgent, as data indicates a disturbing increase in incidents of bullying and cyberbullying: 

• 40% of youth 9- to 18-year olds say they were bullied on school property in the past 12 months; 38% did not tell an adult (view the study)

• 45.5% of middle and high school students said they have been cyberbullied in their lifetime and 23.2% reported being cyberbullied in the prior 30 days (view the study)

The impact of bullying is real and is harming our children: Research shows the profound impact that bullying has on children. For example, bullied students indicate that bullying has a negative effect on how they feel about themselves (27%), their relationships with friends and family (19%), their school work (19%), and physical health (14%) (view the study). Even bystanders are at increased risk—youth who have observed but not participated in bullying report significantly more feelings of helplessness and less sense of connectedness (view the study).

Read about our New York Advocacy Work.

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