33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You

According to the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice and the CDC, 20% of students between the ages of 12-18 experience bullying at some point in their lives. Sadly, it has also been observed that since the pandemic, there has been a rise in bullying.

As you scroll through the list, you will realize that the reasons for people getting bullied as kids are so trivial or sometimes, quite tragic, that it will make you question the mental health of the bullies. To get a deeper insight into the matter, Bored Panda reached out to teacher and principal Jyoti D., who has been in the teaching profession for the past 21 years.

She claims that kids bully for a variety of reasons, often stemming from their own insecurities, environment, or learned behaviors.

Jyoti narrated, "After witnessing a lot of bullying instances throughout my experience as a teacher, I can say one thing for sure that parents often get blamed for their child's actions, but it's not always on them. Movies, TV shows, and now, social media, play a massive role in affecting young minds as well."

In fact, she explained that even when a kid has amazing parents who have done a brilliant job disciplining them, social media has the power to discard everything they have learned. She also believes that constant exposure to toxic comments, trolling, and online fights normalizes aggressive behavior, and kids may mimic what they see online, thinking it’s acceptable to insult or attack others.

Our expert stressed that there could be many reasons why kids resort to bullying and find nothing wrong with doing it. "Some kids enjoy feeling dominant over others, especially if they feel powerless in other areas of their life. They may bully to fit in, impress friends, or maintain a sense of superiority in their social group," she added.

Unfortunately, Jyoti also noted that some kids bully because they find it entertaining or simply have nothing better to do. This probably explains why they harass kids over the most ridiculous reasons which don't even make sense when you really look at the reasons in this list itself.

"The horrific truth is that bullying and cyberbullying are becoming a sort of a trend, as youngsters like to say these days. They may laugh at someone’s pain, embarrassment, or anger, treating it as a joke or a game. This is often seen in prank culture, where kids humiliate others and record it for laughs or social media views," Jyoti expressed.

She emphasized the importance of teaching emotional intelligence from a young age and talking with kids about empathy and the consequences of their actions. She stressed that parents and teachers should show kids real-life examples of how bullying affects people long-term. She added that they should also reduce children's exposure to harmful online cultures that glorify bullying.

Well, our expert's insights definitely shed light on why young kids behave in such a way and why it's increasing into a concerning social evil. Speaking of how social media can have an impact on young minds, the Netflix series Adolescence was a big eye-opener. It's honestly horrifying to think of how these issues will keep rising if they are not curbed by society.

What are your thoughts about it? Also, have you experienced bullying for some stupid reason? Don't hesitate to share with us in the comments below!