Cyberbullying
If you’re experiencing cyberbullying, you’re not alone. It can be ...
READ MEIf you're being bullied, or know someone who is, there are lots of things you can say and do to make the bullying stop and to cope.
Some other serious types of behaviours, like discrimination, harassment and abuse, can overlap with bullying and are actually against the law.
Bullying can be direct (happening to your face) or indirect (happening 'behind your back'), and overt (very obvious and observable) or covert (subtle and hard to prove). There are a few different types of bullying, including:
Cyberbullying - stuff like mean texts, emails, posts, images or videos
Verbal bullying – using words to make you feel upset, angry, embarrassed, etc. E.g. teasing, name calling, yelling, etc.
Physical bullying – stuff that hurts or harms your body, e.g. kicking, tripping, hitting. Physical bullying can also include things like damaging your possessions
Social bullying – stuff done to hurt your reputation. It can be verbal, like spreading rumours or playing mean jokes, or non-verbal like pretending not to hear a person when they speak or leaving them out
Find out how eSafety can help if you experience cyberbullying and how you can report a complaint.
"People who bully don’t want you to report it as they don’t want to get in trouble. Bullying rarely stops on its own – and keeping it secret often means it keeps happening."
– Amanda, Kids Helpline Counsellor
"I was bullied a lot last year... I'm still sort of being bullied but I'm trying my very hardest to get through it and just be positive and just be myself."
Do things you enjoy. This can give you a mental break from the stress of bullying.
Get social support. Spend time with friends - or focus on making new friends who like you for you.
Focus on what you’re good at, your strengths, and how you are unique. Bullying can make you feel not good enough. Focus on celebrating the things that make you, you!
Know you aren’t the problem. People who bully often do so for personal reasons about themselves or personal problems they are facing/struggling with. This is never a ‘reason’ to bully someone or an ‘excuse’ for bullying.
Get support. Bullying can be very hard to manage and you shouldn't have to try and solve it all on your own. Professionals can work with you to figure out the best things to try, based on your situation and who you are as a person (because every person and situation is different).
Know that things do get better. Bullying can be stopped and does stop. Lots of negative things come out of being bullied. But sometimes positive things can come out of it too. For some people, taking action against bullying helped them become emotionally stronger. For others, getting help for bullying taught them new skills and connected them with new supports or friends. Some people were inspired to help others or share their story about how they overcame bullying.
Is this thing that happened to me bullying? How to tell if it's bullying or not.
Is it emotional abuse? A guide for understanding toxic behaviours from family, friends and partners.
Bullying behaviour hurts everyone, including the people being bullied, those witnessing the bullying and those doing the bullying.
Bullying is not an individual or personal problem – which means it's not your fault if you’re being bullied. Bullying is a really complicated social problem – and it’s everyone’s’ responsibility to prevent and address bullying.
If you're being bullied, your friends are bullying someone, you're witnessing bullying or you think you might be bullying someone, give us a call, start a WebChat or check out My Circle today.
Cyberbullying
If you’re experiencing cyberbullying, you’re not alone. It can be ...
READ MEBeing assertive and setting boundaries
Improving your ability to handle tricky conversations, manage your boundaries and communicate ...
READ MEMy friend is being cyberbullied
Putting a stop to cyberbullying is everyone’s responsibility. If you know ...
READ MECould I be a cyberbully?
Know when your online behaviour crosses the line and what to do ...
READ METalking helps! We’re here for you.
No problem is too big or too small.
We're here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week