Let’s put an end to bullying, together.
New York State federally funded schools are required, by law, to address discrimination of the following characteristics: race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion or religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, and gender or sex.
Are all schools following this regulation? No, often events of bullying go unreported. Events that may seem insignificant to an adult are everything to a child. Statistics show that 40% of students deal with bullying and we expect the rates to be much higher due to most events going unreported. Students that deal with bullying are more likely to deal with anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and depression.
Children do not speak up about bullying for several reasons. First, the students would rather endure bullying, than be labeled a whistleblower. Students, especially high schoolers, do not want their parents to go to the school to deal with the bullying, due to potential embarrassment. The bullied child may be afraid of worsening the situation by telling a teacher, or that student does not have a trusted teacher to go to.
Often, it seems like the only way out of a toxic bullying situation for a student is to graduate, move to a new school district, or, worst-case scenario, commit suicide. According to CNN, suicide rates have risen by 25% since 1999. Twenty-five states have experienced a 30% rise in suicide rates. Currently, suicide is one of the top ten causes of death in the United States and the third leading for young adults. It is currently being considered a public health crisis, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts.
Here at Soter Technologies, we believe learning should be the only thing on a student’s mind while at school, not the fear of being bullied, singled out, or alone. We are fighting back by empowering students to speak up. Through anonymous reporting apps, we keep the lines of communication open between victims, witnesses, and school teams. Anonymous reporting apps are critical to student well-being and create healthy social situations, using technology, to bring peace to this rising social epidemic.
