What Counts as Bullying?

When you think of bullying, you have to consider all four types: physical, verbal, nonverbal, and cyberbullying (using computer or cell phone). I think a common misconception we have is that physical bullying is the worst, when really all four types of bullying can be equally painful. Verbal bullying (like using words such as "gay" as insults or speaking badly about another) or nonverbal bullying (such as ignoring another person) can have long-lasting effects.

As you get older, it's also good to know that bullying can be different as you go from elementary school to middle school and from middle school to high school. From my experience, in elementary school, much of the bullying happens on the playground and involves physical bullying and friendship troubles. You do, of course, find a lot of verbal bullying too.

In middle school, bullying gets amped up. I saw a lot of gossiping and social exclusion among girls, many times much physical bullying among boys and also verbal and cyberbullying among both boys and girls. By high school, the problem of bullying gets a little better because we've matured, but it doesn't just go away.

From what I've seen, bullying in high school can be more aggressive. The word choices may change (harsher words and curse words). Also, teens are more free to communicate by text or online. Because some kids are just physically big, that can make a bully scarier. In addition, many high schools are quite large and it can be difficult for teachers to be everywhere to stop the bullying if they see it.