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I am a high school teacher. Recently, I had the experience of meeting a class of students where one had dropped out of school due to pressure from a classmate. This situation is a notable event because we often assume that young people are “fine” in an educational environment when, sometimes, this is not the case. Each student experiences particular situations, suffering, or occurrences that we must identify and address as teachers or administrators. Although bullying is more prevalent among boys, it also happens to female students who belong to groups that negatively influence them. For this reason, we have much work to do, both teachers and administrators, to prevent school dropouts caused by bullying.
In the school “Center for Technological, Industrial, and Service Studies No. 79” in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, we carried out a campaign called “You are not alone – you can count on me!” This campaign aimed to help students intimidated by other classmates talk about what they were experiencing inside the classroom. It helped us identify different bullying-related scenarios that were problematic for students. With this information, we reorganized the classes experiencing particular problems. Diversifying these classes improved our control and made students comfortable with their presence and identity.
The initiative campaign was implemented in the September-December 2023 semester and will continue next year. The campaign’s first phase focused on promoting knowledge among students, discovering who they are and what they like and do not like, in a relaxed atmosphere where they had food and snacks and shared small details. This dynamic and its interactions strengthened the students’ self-esteem, generating an environment conducive to elevating the quality of the teaching-learning process as we had hoped.
“The collaborative work between administrative staff, teachers, support staff, parents, and the students allows us to generate a unique force to counteract violence and bullying in the classroom.”
The negative impact of misusing digital resources
We live in a time that demands continuous use of digital resources. Adolescents find themselves caught between the demands of learning and moments of idleness. They frequently immerse themselves in video games, where intensity and violence absorb their attention. The lack of internet access or credit balances on their cell phones makes them anxious; they face the uncertainty of not knowing how to occupy their time without a cell phone. This digital environment, so addictive to teenagers, affects their daily activities and shapes their perspectives and perceptions of the world around them.
When using social media, young people face various risks, such as cyberbullying, loss of privacy, social pressures, and constant comparisons. In addition, they become exposed to technology addiction, inappropriate content, and the possibility of interacting with strangers. These challenges can harm teens’ mental health, self-esteem, and overall well-being.
In addition to the above, an adolescent victim of bullying in the school environment is uncomfortable feeling pressured by their peers to do things that go against their wishes and values to fit into the group or impress the “leader” and their classmates. That internal struggle, though invisible at first, manifests itself through problematic behavior, poor academic performance, misuse of technology, and reluctant finger-pointing by peers, who fear retaliation from the leader.
When adolescents are unaware of their essence during their period of self-discovery, their environment is affected by individuals with harmful power. This dynamic directly impacts the self-esteem of the adolescent, who does not recognize their value as an individual, making it difficult for them to disassociate from these negative influences.
Parental or guardian supervision to prevent bullying
The absence of parental or guardian supervision is often due to students having full-time jobs, forcing the adolescents to grow up in challenging environments. The need to belong to a group, which, instead of being harmonious, imposes the uncomfortable demands of bullying peers, creates a distorted perspective on the quality of student life. This situation highlights the need for closer attention to adolescents’ challenges in their search for identity and personal development, especially when negative figures pressure them in their environment.
It is pervasive: Young people act differently in the school environment in a group or class where a peer of the same age perceives themselves as an individual with “power.” The bully manipulates and controls the actions of others according to their interests, generating tensions and challenges to students’ educational and personal development.
Psychologists Evelyn Prado and Jesús Amaya address the idea of the “generation of obedient parents,” describing them as fathers and mothers who worry about satisfying any whim of their sons or daughters without imposing rules for fear that they will suffer or become frustrated. Influenced by cultural, social, and familial changes, this group adopts a parenting approach without clear boundaries or rules, taking on the role of friends rather than parental figures. This deficit of authority creates an environment where children lack structure and discipline and suffer its absence.
The authors highlight the importance of showing affection and balancing it with boundaries and the responsibilities of teaching. According to Prado and Amaya, children must learn to accept the consequences of their actions, thoughts, and decisions. The satisfaction children experience from acting responsibly helps them develop healthy self-esteem so that, entering adolescence, it is easier for them to develop communication skills to express their emotions constructively, manage stress, and be empathetic to other people’s perspectives, encouraging self-control and conscious decision-making, and promoting healthy relationships based on respect.
Reflection
We are currently facing a challenging environment full of distractions, where technology, if not used well, exerts negative influences. Therefore, it is crucial to emphasize the responsibility of educators, parents, and guardians to address issues like bullying to counter the harmful influence of social media and technology. Likewise, balancing affection with clear limits is essential to developing responsibility and self-esteem in children and adolescents.
We must not neglect the care we provide our children and adolescents at home or in any environment where they are, such as school or the virtual world. Although they may perceive this attention as annoying, forming positive self-esteem with empathy and consideration for others is vital. Let us remember that, eventually, they will become adults and caregivers for the next generations.
About the author
Juana Carrillo Lorenzo (cjanezo@hotmail.com) holds a master’s degree in computer science and telecommunications. She is a primary and upper-secondary education teacher, teaching robotics, technology, and office automation classes. She has won three platinum awards from INFOMATRIX, organized by the Latin American Society of Science and Technology (SOLACYT).
References
Carrillo, A. (2021, January 19). Presión social: causas y consejos para enfrentarla. Accessed from Mejor con Salud website, December 20, 2023: https://mejorconsalud.as.com/presion-social-causas-y-consejos-para-enfrentarla/
Etapas de la adolescencia. (2015, October 19). Accessed from de CuidatePlus website, December 20, 2023: https://cuidateplus.marca.com/familia/adolescencia/diccionario/etapas-adolescencia.html
¿Has sufrido acoso cibernético? ¡Identifica sus modalidades y protégete! (s/f). Accessed December 20, 2023, from gob.mx website: https://www.gob.mx/conavim/articulos/has-sufrido-acoso-cibernetico-te-decimos-a-donde-acudir
Osuna, C. E. T. (2017, marzo 19). NIÑOS SIN LÍMITES = ADOLESCENTES TIRANOS. Accessed from CET Osuna website November 21, 2023: http://www.cetosuna.com/ninos-sin-limites-adolescentes-tiranos/
Editing
Edited by Rubí Román (rubi.roman@tec.mx) – Editor of the Edu bits articles and producer of The Observatory webinars- “Learning that inspires” – Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education at Tec de Monterrey.
Translation
Daniel Wetta
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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 
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