Children with food allergies or overweight problems are the most likely targets for bullying in school, new research shows. As a result, these children become problematic and more anxious than their peers.

Bullying in schools is a growing concern among parents, doctors and school administrators as more and more reports of depression and child suicide related to bullying, including online bullying, appear in the news.

Research shows that between one third and one tenth of schoolchildren are bullied at school. These numbers may vary depending on the location of the school and the demographic situation of the area.

In one recent study, researchers interviewed about 250 children and their parents who came to an allergy clinic. Slightly over 45% of them said that they were harassed for various reasons, and 32% reported that they were bullied, in particular because of their allergies.

In another study, researchers found that nearly two-thirds of the 360 ​​teens attending a weight loss camp are bullied because of their size. Moreover, the greater the weight of the child, the more they are bullied. The most common types of bullying are verbal. However, more than half of the children were abused online, via email or SMS. 

In addition, scientists found that only about half of the parents of children with food allergies knew that their child was being bullied. And children tend to tolerate bullying better when their families are aware of the problem.