Bullying and the Rumor Mill: What are the Effects?
The school day begins the same as always, with students rushing to get to class before the bell and getting ready for class to begin. However, for some people, their school routine is marked with distress and fear.
Bullying remains one of the biggest issues facing the student population, affecting people of all ages and backgrounds. It harms not only those who are directly involved but also the entire community. Bullying takes many forms, from verbal insults to physical harm.
While bullying can sometimes be obvious, it is most commonly done subtly, ruining students’ confidence in themselves. For many people, it is a deeply personal experience that shapes how they see themselves for very long periods of time.
One of the most damaging parts of bullying is the emotional impact it leaves behind. These emotional struggles can affect sleep, concentration, and academic performance. Victims may even struggle with anxiety and depression, and can feel isolated from their peers. School, a place meant for academics and growth, can quickly become a source of fear. Even if the bullying ends, the effects of it can still be found long afterwards.
“Experiencing bullying has really affected my confidence in many ways. I second-guess myself in situations where I used to feel comfortable, and I always feel insecure now,” said Sophomore Nayeli Rivero.
According to stopbullying.gov, children who are bullied may resort to violence, explaining that in school shooting cases between 2013 and 2019, more than half of the shooters reported being bullied.
Additionally, they mentioned that bullies are also affected negatively. Children who bully others have a much higher risk of mental and behavioral problems, and are also more likely to struggle later in life with maintaining friendships and jobs.
This situation becomes even more harmful when bullying is pushed further by the rumor mill. Rumors often begin as small, untruthful comments between groups, sometimes as jokes between friends, but they can quickly grow into widely believed stories, getting twisted as they move along. Due to rumors being so easy to spread, especially with social media, they can travel faster and further than the truth.
Once the rumor mill runs its course, it can change how others view someone, even their own close friends. People targeted by gossip may not know where it started, how to address it, or how far the rumor has spread, making them feel like they have no control over the situation.
“They’ve caused me to be very self-conscious and sad about coming to school at all. After a while, I had to learn to adapt to it and just try to shut down all the rumors,” explained Sophomore Kimberly Valladares
Bullying and rumors can also result in social isolation, where the person being targeted feels cut off from others. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network explains that bullying can affect not only someone’s self-image, but also social interactions and school performance as well.
Those close to someone who is being bullied may distance themselves out of fear that they might become a target themselves, while others may treat the bullied person differently based on rumors. Over time, the isolation can be just as hurtful as the bullying itself.
The impact of bullying isn’t only felt by the person being bullied. In fact, witnessing bullying can affect the bystanders as well. Seeing others being mistreated can lead bystanders to feel guilty for not stepping in, though feeling afraid to. Over time, the silence allows the bullying to continue, which creates an environment where this is normalized.
For many people, the effects of bullying do not simply disappear when the bullying stops. Harmful experiences can leave emotional scars, which can influence how the victim moves through life, for example, how they handle conflict in their future years.
Bullying is sometimes dismissed as “just being a part of school,” however, the impact it leaves on people is far more serious. They shape people’s relationships and how they view themselves for years to come. Recognizing how serious the effects of bullying are is one of the first steps in stopping it.
If you or somebody you know is being bullied, know you are not alone. Sources like stopbullying.gov and pacer.org can provide information on bullying, and additionally, resources such as stompoutbullying.org or your local crisis hotline, or trusted adults are available to offer support and guidance.
