11/14/2025
📣 Bullying is real — and it’s happening right here in our community.
I pulled together recent data so we can understand what’s happening and how to help.
Key facts (2021–2025):
I’ve been looking over updated bullying numbers from the last few years, and honestly, it’s pretty alarming. Even though the exact percentages can vary depending on the source, the overall picture is the same: bullying is still hitting a lot of kids, and it’s not getting better fast enough.
According to recent U.S. data, about 19% of students ages 12–18 said they were bullied during the 2021–22 school year. Newer reports from 2023–2025 show almost the same thing, especially for high school students, but what has changed is how much cyber-bullying has grown. More teens say they’ve been bullied online in the last year, which honestly makes sense with how much time kids spend on their phones now.
What stood out to me the most is how many kids never say anything. Less than half of the students who were bullied told an adult. That means a lot of children are walking around every day with this weight on them, scared to speak up.
And this is where we come in.
Talk to your children. Ask questions. Pay attention to their behavior.
If you notice something is off — maybe they’re quieter than usual, don’t want to go to school, or avoid their phone — take it seriously. Most kids are terrified to open up. Approaching them with open ears, compassion, and love goes a long way. Getting frustrated or projecting negative energy will only make things worse if they’re being bullied and already scared.
A lot of bullying still happens in person — classrooms, hallways, cafeterias — but online bullying has really taken off. Among bullied students, more than 1 in 5 said it happened online or through text, and newer polls show even higher numbers for teens. So it’s important to limit device use, monitor what they’re doing, and block apps and websites you don’t want your children using. If you allow them on apps like Snapchat, TikTok, Roblox, or anything else, make sure you’re watching closely and checking in regularly.
Parents across the country feel the same concerns. Around 35% of parents say they’re extremely or very worried their child might be bullied. And honestly, with everything going on — both online and in schools — that worry is understandable.
But here’s the biggest thing we all need to remember: bullying isn’t just “kids being mean.”
It can damage a child’s confidence, hurt their mental health, affect their grades, and make it harder for them to form healthy friendships. Every insult, every shove, every rumor, every hurtful message adds up. When a child doesn’t feel safe — whether in class or online — it affects the entire family and the whole community.
We want our homes and our town to be places of support, kindness, and growth, not fear or shame.
So keep talking to your kids. Keep checking in. Keep showing up.
It really does make a difference.
If you’ve dealt with bullying as a parent or even as a student yourself, feel free to share what helped. Your experience might help another family going through the same thing. And if this message hits home, please share, follow, or drop a comment to spread awareness.
— The Local Line – Butts County, GA
Sources:
NCES (U.S. Department of Education)
CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
StopBullying (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)
Pew Research Center
