If you are the target of a bully, the worst thing you can do is stay silent. But that’s what most students — and even many adults — choose to do.
StopBullying.gov reports that as many as 80% of students don’t notify an adult about bullying, whether they are the target or a witness. The website has a section called Resources for Kids with ideas about how to stand up for yourself or others.
Bullying is a form of violence that can be physical (hitting, kicking, spitting, pushing), verbal (teasing, threatening, name-calling), psychological (excluding someone, spreading rumors, intimidating) or sexual (touching, assault).
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If You’re Being Bullied
- Tell the bully in a calm voice to stop what they’re doing.
- If speaking up doesn’t seem safe, walk away and find an adult who you trust.
- Talking to an adult can make you feel less alone. Plus, an adult might have ideas for coming up with a plan to stop the bullying.
- Stay away from places where bullying happens and stay close to adults and other kids. Most bullying happens when adults aren’t there.
- If you see someone else being bullied, tell an adult and be kind to the kid being bullied. Staying silent is not good because the bully will think it’s OK to be mean.
- Cyberbullying is not just mean, in some cases it’s against the law.
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