Bullying is when someone keeps doing or saying things to another person to gain power over them. A bully might push you around or call you names, or they might be that mystery cyber troll. They could be threatening you, starting rumours about you, touching you when you don’t want them to, hurting you physically, stealing your stuff or abusing you online.
No-one deserves to be bullied. Bullying is a serious problem that can disrupt your life and lead to physical and emotional health problems.
What can I do?
Talk to someone
Tell a trusted family member, friend, sports team mate, church leader or school teacher what’s going on for you, especially if you feel like you are at risk of being hurt. If the person you have confided in is not sure how to help, keep talking things through with them, and involve others.
Apply bullying first aid
There are few things you can do at the time you are being bullied that might immediately help the situation or lessen the impact of bullying.
- Find safety in numbers – walk to, from, and around school with friends.
- Stand up for yourself – this can be hard, but sometimes showing your inner strength and telling people their behaviour is unacceptable can be very powerful. If the bullying happens again, it can be helpful to be able to tell your parents or school that you’ve tried to manage the situation on your own, by letting the bully know that you don’t like how they’re treating you.
- Walk away – often bullies thrive on attention. Ignoring them and removing yourself from the situation can be a powerful thing to do.
- Keep a record – write down what happened to you, noting as many details as you can remember.
- Don’t attack others – you’ll just become a part of the problem.
Where to get help
Get free support now and check out free online self-help tools.
Learn more about how to deal with bullying online.
You can also check out Pink Shirt Day for more information.
