National Bullying Prevention Month 2025

National Bullying Prevention Month is an important time to advocate for the end of bullying and support people who are experiencing bullying by giving them resources.  Originally National Bullying Prevention Month was started as a campaign by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in 2006 (PACER Center).  It first started out as the first week of October but later expanded to become a full month in 2010 (PACER Center).  According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bullying is defined as “any unwanted aggressive behavior(s).” Common types of bullying include physical harm, verbal harm, relational or social harm, and cyberbullying (CDC). Bullying usually contains a power imbalance and is often repeated behavior (What Is Bullying). 

As many of us know bullying is a widespread issue that is not just found in schools, but also in workplaces. According to the CDC, about 34% of teenagers reported being bullied in the past 12 months.  Teenagers who have developmental disabilities are bullied more frequently than those who don’t have disabilities (Haile et al.). Additionally, according to the CDC, young girls (38.3%) experienced more bullying than young boys (29.9%). Cyberbullying has also made escaping bullying more difficult because many times people continually bully people online. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, 32.3% of adults have been directly bullied in their workplaces, which equates to 52.2 million workers. There are also 22.6 million people who have witnessed people being bullied in their workplaces (Workplace Bullying Institute). 

The effects of bullying can be quite devastating.  According to the CDC, “bullying can result in physical injury, social and emotional distress, self-harm, and even death. It also increases the risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, lower academic achievement, and dropping out of school." Teenagers who are bullied report higher rates of depression and anxiety symptoms than their counterparts ( (Haile et al.).  Bullying can also destroy people’s confidence, their relationships with family and friends and their physical health (Thomsen et al. 46). Workplace bullying has many adverse effects as well including “increased stress and mental disturbances”, sleep issues, more general health complaints, and an increase in absences and use of sick days (Sansone 34-35). 

Reflecting on my personal experience of being bullied in high school, it was tough on me mentally, emotionally, and physically. I dealt with a lot of anxiety, panic attacks, and lost a lot of weight. I dreaded going to school and would have stomach aches. It really destroyed my confidence and my sense of self-worth. I felt that I didn’t have any worth if people treated me so badly, but now I realize that when people bully people, it shows more of a reflection on them and the way they treat people, rather than the worth of the person who is being bullied. Another negative side effect of being bullied is that I do not want to open up to people and am distrustful of others. I’ve realized how much the bullying made me isolate myself from people. I’m still working on processing, forgiving, and healing from these tough experiences. 

I wanted to share other people’s experiences of being bullied as well because it shows bullying leaves emotional scars that still hurt years later. One woman named Bethany who is twenty-nine shares her story on Teens Against Bullying. Bethany says, 

“I was bullied for over a decade almost nonstop. It severely impacted my mental health and I am only still here because of God and those who chose to accept me when I was rejected. I know the terrible loneliness of feeling completely unwanted. I know the shame and the hurt that runs so deep you feel utterly worthless and like trash. I know the power that words can have and how they can cut deep and leave scars for life. I see the hurt. I cannot turn away. I want to stand with the bullied and take the hurt with them, speak up for them, defend them, and hear them and befriend them. You never know how far a little kindness can go. It can save someone’s life. It surely did for me many times. I care because I know this pain all too well and it is my honor to be there for someone else in this pain.”

Reading Bethany’s reflection was saddening and I understand her pain. It’s heartbreaking knowing that bullying is such a common experience and can truly hurt people. I love that she wants to help other people who are experiencing bullying and let them know they are not alone. 

Brynne, a fifteen-year-old, describes being bullied and gives wise advice on how to navigate bullying on Teens Against Bullying. Brynne writes, 

“I know what bullying can do to someone. I know how it can make you feel. Alone and scared and worthless. Sometimes it feels like no matter what you do, it won't stop. Don't be afraid to seek help. The worst thing you can do is let it happen without self-advocacy. Sometimes schools can't or won't help you, but things can get better. Lean on others, because there is always someone who loves you. And if you are bullying someone, think about what you are doing, and how you would feel if your bullying led someone to seriously hurting themselves, and you are responsible. Let that sink in before you harm them any further. Be a force of love in the world, not hate.”

I also relate to Brynne’s story and really respect her wisdom at only fifteen years old. I love how she says that things will get better as it’s important to not lose hope. I like how she also addresses bullies themselves and tells them the horrible consequences that can happen because of their malicious actions. 

If you are experiencing bullying or know someone who is struggling, know that you are not alone and that there is help. For kids and teenagers, there are many resources including Kids Against Bullying, Teens Against Bullying, and STOMP Out Bullying. Additionally, letting kids and teenagers know that celebrities have also dealt with being bullied lets them know even famous people have experienced bullying in their youth as well. One book that helped me when I was being bullied was Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls by Rachel Simmons. It made me feel less alone and gave me practical advice on how to navigate these experiences. For adults who are experiencing workplace bullying, here are some resources, including Workplace Bullying Institute, Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Resources for Targets and their Allies, and How to Recognize and Deal with Bullying at Work. 

As we know, bullying is a common and troubling issue in our society.  Social media has also worsened the problem of bullying with many people thinking it’s okay to be mean online because “it’s not real life.” The more we can support people who are experiencing bullying and let them know there is hope, we can help save a lot of people from taking their lives.  Overall, we know the old adage, “Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is not true. Words have power and people remember mean things they have been told their entire lives.  It's important that we be as kind and loving as possible to others, while also standing up for ourselves and others if necessary. As fifteen-year-old Brynne wisely reminded us in her post: "Be a force of love in the world, not hate.”

Work Cited:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Bullying | Youth Violence Prevention | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 Oct. 2024, www.cdc.gov/youth-violence/about/about-bullying.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/bullyingresearch/fastfact.html

Haile, Eyasu G., et al. Bullying Victimization Among Teenagers: United States, July 2021–December 2023. NCHS Data Brief, no. 514, National Center for Health Statistics, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db514.htm

PACER Center. “Bethany — ‘I Care Because …’.” Teens Against Bullying: I Care Because, PACER Center, https://www.pacerteensagainstbullying.org/i-care-because/?wpv_view_count=4310-TCPID278&wpv_paged=7. Accessed 30 Sept. 2025.

PACER Center. “Brynne — ‘I Care Because …’.” Teens Against Bullying: I Care Because, PACER Center,https://www.pacerteensagainstbullying.org/i-care-because/?wpv_paged=15&wpv_view_count=4310-TCPID278. Accessed 30 Sept. 2025.

PACER Center. Bullying Statistics. PACER Center, https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/stats/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.

PACER Center. “History — National Bullying Prevention Month.” PACER Bullying Prevention, PACER Center, https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/history/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.

PACER Center. PACER Kids Against Bullying. PACER Center, https://www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.

PACER Center. Teens Against Bullying. PACER, https://www.pacerteensagainstbullying.org/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.

Potter, Grace. “Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace: Resources for Targets and Their Allies.” Ecological Society of America, 18 Apr. 2018,  https://esa.org/earlycareer/2018/04/18/bullying-and-harassment-in-the-workplace-resources-for-targets-and-their-allies/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.

Sansone, Randy A, and Lori A Sansone. “Workplace bullying: a tale of adverse consequences.” Innovations in clinical neuroscience vol. 12,1-2 (2015): 32-37, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4382139/pdf/icns_12_1-2_32.pdf

Simmons, Rachel. Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls. Harcourt, 2003.

STOMP Out Bullying. STOMP Out Bullying, https://www.stompoutbullying.org/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.

Thomsen, E., Henderson, M., Moore, A., Price, N., and McGarrah, M. W. Student Reports of Bullying: Results From the 2022 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. NCES 2024-109rev, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, May 2024, nces.ed.gov/pubs2024/2024109rev.pdf

Walker, Jason, and Deborah Circo. “How to Recognize and Deal with Bullying at Work.” Society for Human Resource Management, 9 Feb. 2024, https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/employee-relations/recognize-bullying-at-work. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.

“What Is Bullying.” StopBullying.gov, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 7 Oct. 2024, www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/what-is-bullying. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.

Workplace Bullying Institute. 2024 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey. Workplace Bullying Institute, 2024, https://workplacebullying.org/2024-wbi-us-survey/.

Yagoda, Maria. “Celebrities Who Were Bullied (as Kids).” People, 11 Nov. 2022, www.people.com/celebrity/celebrities-who-were-bullied-as-kids/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2025.