WHAT IS BULLYING?

It happens everywhere

It can happen to everyone

Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending him or herself. Usually, bullying happens over and over. Some examples of bullying are:

Keeping certain people out of a "group"

Getting certain people to "gang up" on others

Spreading bad rumors about people

Teasing people in a mean way

Punching, shoving and other acts that hurt people physically

Threatening other people

Bullying also can happen on-line or electronically. Cyber Bullying is when children or teens bully each other using the Internet, mobile phones or other cyber technology. This can include:

Sending mean text, e-mail, or instant messages

Posting nasty pictures or messages about others in blogs or on Web sites

Using someone else's user name to spread rumors or lies about someone

If you are being bullied - unfortunately you are not alone. There are lots of kids all over the world who go through the same thing you do and, you may feel helpless sometimes, but there are some things you can do to help yourself.

Always tell an adult. It may be hard to talk about serious things but adults can help stop the bullying. Rarely will bullying go away on its own.

Tell a teacher, counselor, security officer or principal

Tell Student Crime Stoppers

Stay in a group. Kids who bully like to pick on the kids who are by themselves. Bullies do not like witnesses.

WITNESSING BULLYING -

So, you aren't someone who bullies others, and you haven't been bullied yourself. But if you see it happening to others, you can help put a stop to it. Even though it might be easier to stand by and watch (or try to ignore the bullying), just remember, we all need a little help from time to time! Think about how you might feel if the bullying was happening to YOU. There are all kinds of great things you can do to help. So the next time you see someone being bullied, try one of these ideas and make a real difference!

Report the bullying to an adult. Many kids who are bullied are scared to tell an adult about it (especially a teacher or principal), because they are afraid the person bullying them will find out and the bullying will just get worse. That's where you come in. Even if it's a little scary for you to tell an adult about bullying that you see, it's the right thing to do. It's not tattling—you're helping someone out. Who should you tell? You could tell your teacher, school counselor, school nurse, parents, coach, or any adult you feel comfortable talking with. It might be a little less scary if you ask a friend to go along with you. Be sure to tell the adult exactly what happened—who was bullied, who did the bullying, and where and when it happened. If you're not sure if another kid is being bullied but you think they probably are—it's good to report that, too. Most adults really care about bullying and will be VERY glad that you told them about it. If you told an adult and you don't think they did anything about the bullying (or if it isn't getting any better), find another adult to tell.

Support someone who is being bullied. Sometimes the best thing you can do for a person who is being bullied is just to be there for him or her and be a friend. Whether this means agreeing to walk home with him or her after school, sitting with him or her on the bus or at lunch, trying to include him or her in your school or social activities, or just spending some time with him or her and trying to understand what he or she is going through, it will make a huge difference! Although these may seem like small things to you, they will show a kid who is being bullied that you care about him or her and the problems he or she is facing. And that can be a BIG help!

Stand up to the person doing the bullying. If you feel safe doing this, tell a person who is bullying that what he or she is doing is wrong and that he or she should stop. Keep it simple. You could just say, "Ben, cut it out. Nobody thinks that's funny." If you can, get some friends to join you. When kids who bully see that other kids don't think it's cool, they are more likely to stop. Just be sure you don't bully them back! It's not easy to stand up to kids who may be bigger and stronger than you or really popular, so if you're not comfortable doing this, that's OK. (But be sure to tell an adult!)