What Is Bullying?

What Is Bullying?

Bullying is different from the typical disagreements or conflict that occur between friends or classmates. What’s the difference?

It’s bullying if:

• The person is being hurt, harmed or humiliated with words or behavior.

• The behavior is repeated, though it can be a single incident.

• It is being done intentionally.

• The person being hurt has a hard time defending themselves from the behavior.

• The student(s) who are doing it have more power.*

* ”Power” can include such things as being older, being physically bigger or stronger, having more social status, or when a group of students “gang up” on someone.

A lot of teens describe bullying as, “When someone tries to make you feel less about who you are as a person, and you aren’t able to make it stop.”