Both physical bullying and online bullying can mess a person up in very deep ways, seriously , I don’t think one is less serious than the other, but I do think they affect people differently.
Physical bullying is what most of us grew up with, someone is pushing you around or Insulting you to your face, they might even hit you, this kind of thing is very scary because it is happening in front of you, you can feel bullying and you can feel it emotionally at the same time, there is this fear that comes with bullying, it is like you are not safe in your environment, this can be at school or in your neighborhood, It can be anywhere you are supposed to feel comfortable.
Online bullying is different from bullying this is want some people think, they say online bullying is not as serious as it looks they think this because online bullying is something that they think is only on screen, well that is not true, Online bullying can follow you everywhere, there is no place to go, your phone is always with you. So online bullying is always, with you, now imagine people insulting you or mocking you, Imagine this happening all the time, you see it when you wake up, you see it when you go to sleep, online bullying does not stop, this can really affect someones mind like alot, online bullying can get into someones head, and ut can stay there.
One thing that even makes online bullying worse sometimes is the number of people involved, physical bullying might be one or two people, but online, it can be hundreds or even thousands joining in, it becomes overwhelming, also, people feel more confident saying hurtful things online because they are hiding behind a screen, they say things they might never say in real life, and that makes it even more brutal.
That being said, physical bullying still carries a different kind of weight because it can lead to actual bodily harm, someone could get injured, and the trauma from that can last for years, there’s also the embarrassment of being bullied in front of others physically, which can damage someone’s confidence deeply.
So honestly, trying to rank which one is worse feels a bit unfair because both can destroy someone mentally and emotionally, one attacks your body and presence in real life, while the other attacks your mind constantly without giving you space to breathe.
I personally feel both should be treated equally serious, the mistake people make is downplaying online bullying like it is not “real.” but the effects are very real. Depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, even worse outcomes can come from both types.
At the end of the day, bullying is bullying, whether it’s physical or online, the real issue is the damage it does to a person’s mental health and sense of self, instead of trying to decide which is worse, I think the focus should be on stopping both completely and taking them seriously whenever they happen.
Because no one deserves to feel small, unsafe, or broken, whether it is in real life or behind a screen.