Bullying is a serious public health issue that affects nearly one in five high school students and can have lasting emotional consequences. National Bullying Prevention Month highlights the need for families, schools and communities to work together to stop bullying.
According to the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey for Teens, conducted between 2021 and 2023, about 34% of adolescents in the U.S. said they had been bullied at least once in the prior 12 months. Cyberbullying remains a concern: 16% of high school students reported being bullied online in 2023.
Real Risks
Today’s online world can be a minefield for teens. A Pew Research Center survey fielded in fall 2024 found that 48% of teens say social media has a mostly negative effect on people their age, up from 32% in 2022. Many teens also reported benefits, such as staying connected with friends and expressing themselves creatively. But experts warn that heavy or unsupervised use carries real risks.
Social media doesn’t affect all adolescents in the same way. For some, it can deepen existing emotional vulnerabilities. A 2023 study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that heavy social media use is linked to anxiety, depression and disrupted sleep, with late-night scrolling posing particular risks.
The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory warned that social media exposes young people to harmful content and intense social pressures during a critical stage of brain development. Experts urge parents and caregivers to keep lines of communication open and help teens develop digital literacy skills to navigate online spaces safely.
Types of Bullying
Bullying takes many forms: physical harm, verbal abuse, rumor-spreading, social exclusion, and online harassment. It can lead to depression, anxiety, school avoidance, declining academic performance, and — in severe cases — suicidal thoughts. Research shows bullying often stops within seconds when peers intervene, yet silence can allow harm to escalate. Stopping bullying requires collective awareness and action.
“We need to support safe schools and communities where children see differences in people as positive, witness and express empathy, and learn peaceful ways of managing conflict,” said NewBridge CEO Michelle Borden, a licensed clinical social worker.
Families, educators, and students all play a role in fostering environments where respect and inclusion are the norm. Teaching students to be upstanders — those who speak up or act when they witness bullying — can change outcomes quickly and powerfully.
NewBridge offers prevention and resiliency training to help schools and communities stop bullying and support youth. These sessions teach students how to recognize and respond to bullying, build conflict-resolution skills, and strengthen self-esteem to reduce vulnerability to peer pressure.For more information, contact Director of Community Response and Education Beth Jacobson at (973) 686-2228 or ejacobson@newbridge.org.
