Bullying is a major problem among teens in the U.S. according to a recent report from Pew Research Center. MPB's Jasmine Ellis has more.
Experts say they are seeing an increase in bullying among teenagers in Mississippi. Dyelicia Ball is with NFusion Metro. The organization provides mental health services to youth and their families in Hinds County. She says one of the ways that youth are being targeted is through social media and other applications.
“It’s becoming a trend where youth are using these platforms to address others in a very inappropriate manner, aggressive manner,” said Ball. “And it’s really hard for a lot of youth to deal with that because you reach a large scale of people at one time.”
According to a report from the Pew Research Center, 55 percent of adolescents say that bullying is a major problem among their peers.
Damonte Anderson of Jackson is a senior at Forest Hill High School. The 19-year-old says he's been bullied since his freshman year because of his physical appearance.
“They’re calling me names,” said Anderson. “They’re calling me Special Ed, stupid, retarded and they’re calling me a nerd but I’m really not a nerd. The reason they’re calling me a nerd is because I’ve got these glasses on.”
Anderson says adults should talk to their children about not bullying their peers.
