Bullying Stats/Facts

Stop Bullying Now! is a web site about bullying provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of Stop Bullying Now! is to educate kids, parents, teachers, and other adults about bullying and how to handle it. This review discusses some of the features, highlights, and uses of the Stop Bullying Now! web site.

The US Department of Health and Human Service's Stop Bullying Now! website supports their campaign to recognize and stop bullying. The Stop Bullying Now! website includes information, videos, posters, public service announcements, and other materials, all of which can be downloaded and used free of charge in campaigns against bullying. The web site is divided into two main sections,  with one for adults and one for kids. The web page is found at http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov. The campaign's theme is "Take a Stand. Lend a Hand. Stop Bullying Now!"

The kids' section of the Stop Bullying Now! web site is mainly geared toward "tweens," or 9 to 14 year olds. The Stop Bullying Now! website was designed with the input of a group of 18 tweens, as well as a few teenagers, from all over the US who had personal experiences with bullying. The kids' section includes several sections to help young people recognize and combat bullying:

• Webisodes - short video clips that make up a story showing cartoon characters facing various types of bullying, and how these characters deal with it. Each webisode is followed by a few questions to help kids think about what they just watched. These would be helpful for parents who watch the webisodes with their kids and talk to them about what they are seeing.
• Short info pages for kids explaining what bullying is and some ways they may want to handle it
• Questions from other kids about bullying with answers from experts
• A quiz to help kids know if they have ever acted like a bully
• Games

The Stop Bullying Now! section for adults has more specific information that adults might find useful:

• Facts and statistics about bullying, including specific information about kids who bully and kids who are bullied
• A section on cyber bullying
• A list of states that have laws against bullying
• News related to bullying and efforts to stop bullying
• Downloadable webcasts to watch and share with others
• Links to other resources about bullying
• Ideas and resources for starting a Stop Bullying Now! campaign

Stop Bullying Now! offers specific information and tips for adults in various roles, including:

• Parents and family members
• Teachers
• School administrators
• Law enforcement
• Medical and mental health professionals
• Youth advisors and leaders

Some of the information provided in these sections includes best practices for bullying intervention, tips to help parents talk to PTAs or school faculty members about bullying problems, and advice to help determine the extent of bullying problems at a school. There is some overlap of material between the different sections, and sometimes finding the information you are looking for requires clicking through several links.

The Stop Bullying Now! website is an excellent resource for kids and adults looking for information about bullying, including how to recognize bullying and advice on how to prevent or stop it. The fact that the materials may be downloaded and used to teach about and help prevent bullying is an especially useful feature. The links to other web sites are also helpful since, though the Stop Bullying Now! web site has a lot of information, some people may want more or different help than what the web site provides. Teens may find some of the information helpful, but they may not connect with all of the parts of the kids' web site, and the information on the adults' website is often not pertinent to them.

Parents will find a lot of information from Stop Bullying Now! to help them understand bullying and get tips on how to approach the problem if their child is a bully or a victim of bullying. Another excellent use of this site for parents is starting a conversation with their kids about bullying. Parents can watch the webisodes and do the activities with their kids and use this as an opportunity to explain that bullying is wrong and to find out if their kids have ever seen or been involved in bullying, as a bully or a victim. If they find that their child does have a problem related to bullying, the web site offers some good tips. Of course, parents who have serious concerns about their child and bullying may also need to talk to a doctor or mental health professional to get further counseling and advice.