I don't know how old you are but one of the many things you seem to be missing is this simple fact: the internet, and social media in particular, provides more opportunity for bullying and amplifies the effects.
It has never been easier to target someone for abuse and execute various forms of abuse online, at scale, and to even do so without having to put your name on it.
If you were born before the internet, you didn't have to worry about pictures of you being taken without your consent and posted for all posterity. You didn't have to worry about insults and abuse directed at you reaching potentially thousands upon thousands of people in an instant. You didn't have to worry about people turning you into a meme or creating AI content using your likeness. You didn't have to worry about people setting up fake accounts under your name and with stolen photos. And so on.
> You could make the point that not being online means less bully and wider social circles.
Not being online does not stop people from posting things about you, working to turn your friends, acquaintances and colleagues against you, and causing you to be isolated from friends, family and social groups.
Again, read Olweus's work on bullying and then you'd at least have an informed perspective on which to make an argument because the widely-accepted definition of "bullying" doesn't require you to be present in the room. "Bullying" isn't just the actions people take against you, it's the effects those actions have on you.
You could have no internet and wake up one morning to discover that your friends are distancing themselves from you, your classmates think you did something you didn't do, social groups are now excluding you, etc. all because of things that were posted about you online when you weren't even there to see them. That is bullying.
Your saying social media and the internet in general makes this effect worse. I agree it can speed up the messaging but it always starts from those same 4 people. And the same people turning on you because of an online post are the same group who will turn there backs on you for an offline rumor.
In both cases its bullying.
On the other hand the same internet and social media allows you to connect with other kids from outside of your local groups enabling a wider social net.