Bullying has become an epidemic in our schools. However it is defined, bullying is not just childs play, but a terrifying experience many American school children face every day. It can be as direct as teasing, hitting, or threatening, or indirect as exclusion, rumors, or manipulation. During the past decade, bullying has become more lethal and has occurred more frequently than it had in the previous two decades. Cyber bullying with the use of cell phones, the computer and the social media have created an environment for our children where they can be bullied at any time and in any place. The recent suicides by some of the victims of bullying have gained much media attention have proven further that, bullying can no longer be explained away, as some adults are inclined to do, as a normal part of growing up. Bullying has only harmful, not beneficial, effects for the target and the perpetrator- even the bystander. Many children in our nations schools are robbed of the opportunity to learn because they are bullied and victimized daily. Bullying exacts a terrible toll on children, and the scars can last a lifetime.