Article Teaser
By:Ashley Higginbotham
-Asst. News Editor-
For those that have a Facebook account, I am positive the name Amanda Todd has been heard. She was a 16-year-old Canadian girl who committed suicide. In 2011, a documentary released about bullying featured a family who lost a son to suicide. Singer and actress Demi Lovato created “Stop Bullying Now!” in order to create awareness about bullying. A few questions come to mind when I hear about bullying cases. Why is it becoming so prevalent in the media now? Where were these organizations when I was younger?
Is bullying becoming worse, or are we just raising our kids to keep their mouth shut and not stand up for themselves?
Stomp Out Bullying was created in 2005. That puts me in 6th grade. The first time I heard about Stomp Out Bullying was in 2010 when it was featured on the Disney Channel. PACER created a program called National Bullying Prevention Program in 2006. That puts me in 7th grade.
The first time I heard of this program was in 2011 when I was writing a story on it for my high school newspaper. I cannot remember a single time in elementary or middle school where bullying was discussed.
I was bullied daily in middle school, and I turned out fine. I do think that bullying has risen in the past few years, but I also think that some parents are being softer on their children when they should teach them to stand up for themselves, no matter what.
