From 2007 to 2014 (the last year for which data are available) the suicide rate among young adolescents aged 10 to 14 doubled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2014 there were 425 deaths from suicide in this age group. And for the first time, the number of deaths by suicide among young adolescents exceeded the number of deaths from auto accidents, which has been declining in recent years.
The trend is disturbing, but for now a cause (or causes) has not been identified. Officials speculate that one factor may be the rise of social networking, which enables bullying to be witnessed not just by a close group of friends or classmates, but the whole school and even the wider community, magnifying the shame and unhappiness of the victim. And with 24-hour access to the social networking, bullying does not necessarily end after school.
It's something to think about. Is there anything we might do to reverse this trend?
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