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33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
CuriositiesMAR 25, 2025

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You

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I always thought bullying only happened on screen in the movies and TV shows that we watch. Then I saw it happen right before my eyes in school, where a bunch of boys were smacking my classmate’s head just for bringing a smelly sandwich for lunch.
That’s the thing about bullying: the culprits don’t even need a sensible reason and the herd mentality can make everyone gang up against the poor victim. When Reddit user likeistoleyourbike asked, “What’s the most ridiculous thing you were bullied over, and what prompted the bullying?” netizens gushed over with these answers!
More info: Reddit

#1

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
I have a cat without a whole tail, yea they made fun of me cus of my cat. Life can be weird.
37points

#2

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
I was bullied because my dad died. Kids can be cruel.
35points

#3

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
Littering. They bullied me for complaining about their littering.
32points

According to the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice and the CDC, 20% of students between the ages of 12-18 experience bullying at some point in their lives. Sadly, it has also been observed that since the pandemic, there has been a rise in bullying.

As you scroll through the list, you will realize that the reasons for people getting bullied as kids are so trivial or sometimes, quite tragic, that it will make you question the mental health of the bullies. To get a deeper insight into the matter, Bored Panda reached out to teacher and principal Jyoti D., who has been in the teaching profession for the past 21 years.

She claims that kids bully for a variety of reasons, often stemming from their own insecurities, environment, or learned behaviors.

#4

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
I was bullied and called gay because I had a best friend.
31points

#5

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
I jumped over the legs of the prep clique while they were blocking the path. This caused a pad to fall out of my pocket. They told everyone. We were all female middle schoolers.
30points

#6

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
That you can't see my upper eye lids easily when my eyes are open. They just get kinda shoved under my eyebrows and hidden out of the way. I was called a freak and a mutant. For having hooded eyes.


I don't even.
29points

Jyoti narrated, "After witnessing a lot of bullying instances throughout my experience as a teacher, I can say one thing for sure that parents often get blamed for their child's actions, but it's not always on them. Movies, TV shows, and now, social media, play a massive role in affecting young minds as well."

In fact, she explained that even when a kid has amazing parents who have done a brilliant job disciplining them, social media has the power to discard everything they have learned. She also believes that constant exposure to toxic comments, trolling, and online fights normalizes aggressive behavior, and kids may mimic what they see online, thinking it’s acceptable to insult or attack others.

#7

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
My surname is Holmes, in primary school they'd call me homeless.
28points

#8

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
One time in 3rd grade I farted really loud during silent reading time. Some kid nicknamed me Fartacus, and it stuck for the rest of elementary school.
26points

#9

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
Being fat. I’m 34 and still fat, but now they are also fat. So f**k them.
26points

Our expert stressed that there could be many reasons why kids resort to bullying and find nothing wrong with doing it. "Some kids enjoy feeling dominant over others, especially if they feel powerless in other areas of their life. They may bully to fit in, impress friends, or maintain a sense of superiority in their social group," she added.

Unfortunately, Jyoti also noted that some kids bully because they find it entertaining or simply have nothing better to do. This probably explains why they harass kids over the most ridiculous reasons which don't even make sense when you really look at the reasons in this list itself.

#10

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
I was bullied by girls because i prefered dj snake more than bts,so they started calling me gay and you have poor choice of music i prefered to stay away because lack of tste is a symptom of covid.
24points

#11

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
Got bullied for being fat AFTER I lost 16kg over the summer. At the time I was 5'4 and 59kg, definitely not fat and the kids who bullied me all weighed more than me. Also got called a s**t for not having had a bf yet when I was 15. My classmates were dumb.
21points

#12

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
Because I was listening to music in a school break, like literally. I can't listen to music??
21points

"The horrific truth is that bullying and cyberbullying are becoming a sort of a trend, as youngsters like to say these days. They may laugh at someone’s pain, embarrassment, or anger, treating it as a joke or a game. This is often seen in prank culture, where kids humiliate others and record it for laughs or social media views," Jyoti expressed.

She emphasized the importance of teaching emotional intelligence from a young age and talking with kids about empathy and the consequences of their actions. She stressed that parents and teachers should show kids real-life examples of how bullying affects people long-term. She added that they should also reduce children's exposure to harmful online cultures that glorify bullying.

#13

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
I lived in a house with well water that would stain everything orange from the iron. I am blonde. It made my hair darker. One time I had my hair washed and cut at the salon and my hair was much lighter, I assume because the stain was washed away using good water. I went to school the next day and a bunch of girls bullied me because I "bleached" my hair and I was "fake". I was also then accused of stuffing my bra because I had a C cup at 13 years old.

Looking back at my middle school pictures, I realize that I was being bullied because I was very pretty. So f**k those bitches.
21points

#14

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
Being respectful to the bully's dad. He started bullying me after that, when I stood up for myself he said 'I know I can't take you in a fight so I'll just stab you!' and showed me the knife.
18points

#15

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
Strawberry cream cheese on my bagel. 2nd or 3rd grade. Even at that age I was baffled.
18points

Well, our expert's insights definitely shed light on why young kids behave in such a way and why it's increasing into a concerning social evil. Speaking of how social media can have an impact on young minds, the Netflix series Adolescence was a big eye-opener. It's honestly horrifying to think of how these issues will keep rising if they are not curbed by society.

What are your thoughts about it? Also, have you experienced bullying for some stupid reason? Don't hesitate to share with us in the comments below!

#16

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
I was a kid who liked Star Wars, so I wore Star Wars shirts. That's when it started.


Two decades later, those who did the bullying are suddenly "huge fans" and wear vintage style shirts in their social media profile photos.


Well then.
18points

#17

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
Enjoying Minecraft. Their justification was the "terrible" graphics of the game.
18points

#18

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
My nose. It is wider than the average western nose. I am part Thai, part Indonesian. They used to call me "stopcontact"(=wall socket) in primary school.
17points

#19

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
My nipples were too small. I am a guy.
15points

#20

33 People Share What Prompted Others To Bully Them As Kids, And The Reasons Might Baffle You
I was in the gifted/talented class, otherwise known as the "Nerd Herd". I moved in during 5th grade. At my previous school it was cool to be in G/T. At my new school it was horrible. Life from 5-8 grades was both terrible and also where I met some of my closest friends.
15points
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