New Report Shares Informed Perspectives on Current State of Bullying and the Impact on Chicago Students
This October, in recognition of Bullying Prevention Month, CIS of Chicago is releasing an 18-page “Bullying Brief.”
The Bullying Brief examines current reports about youth social media use, cyberbullying, and mental health and provides perspectives from school administrators, community organizations, and CIS school-based team members about youth bullying – and what can be done to stem the issue, both inside and outside of the school building.
The report also offers three concrete actions that any Chicagoan can take to support young people and create environments where they thrive.
One action the report encourages adults to engage in is signing up to attend CIS’ Youth Mental Health First Aid course.
Why now?
Anti-bullying programs and resources are consistently the number one request from the nearly 240 schools that CIS serves. In the last five years, though, the problem has only worsened by other external factors, such as a global pandemic that closed school doors, increased feelings of isolation, and prompted warnings of a youth mental health crisis. Even worse, since the pandemic, social media use among young people has increased, causing an even greater decline of their mental health.
These factors prompted the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy this year to call for a warning label on social media platforms following separate Surgeon General advisories on Social Media and Youth Mental Health in 2023 and Protecting Youth Mental Health in 2021.
For 35 years, CIS of Chicago has responded to issues facing Chicago’s students by connecting students with community resources that meet their most pressing needs. The work of CIS of Chicago has impactful results: 99 percent of the students we serve will graduate or get promoted to the next grade.
“Our long history in the city and our deep relationships with schools and community organizations have given us unique insight into how national issues are being felt by our young people and being addressed by our partners in the school building,” said Jane Mentzinger, CIS of Chicago CEO. “This report highlights the data behind bullying, as well as the individual perspectives, and offers three actions that we believe support Chicago students and thwart cyberbullying.”