Dealing with Bullies

Bullying is when someone hurts another person on purpose, over-and-over. Bullying is never OK. Signs of bullying include physical injuries, problems at school, and sadness at home.

Bullying can happen face to face. It can also happen online – for example, like sending nasty texts or say mean things on social media. This is cyberbullying. All bullying is hurtful.

An argument with friends, or a mean statement, aren't bullying. Bullying is mean and hurtful behaviour that happens over and over again.

Here are some helpful ideas to deal with bullying:

• Ignore it, and move away: Physically move away from people who are teasing or bullying.
• Tell the person doing the bullying to stop: Calmly standing up to people lets them know their tricks are not working.
• Avoid high-risk places: As long as this doesn’t stop you from doing things you like to do.
• Stay around other people: If you stay with your friends, the person probably won’t bother you. You can also stay where there are teachers.
• Ask other learners for help: Other learners probably understand what you’re going through, and can help you if you need it. People are less likely to bully if they can see that you have backup.
• Tell the teacher: Your teacher can help you deal with the problem. The person doing the bullying might not even know that the teacher is helping you. Bullying can be hard to handle, and grown-ups are there to help.