Bullying is an intentional aggressive behaviour intended to cause harm. It is repetitive and involves an imbalance of power between the perpetrator (the bully) and the target. It can be direct and involve verbal abuse or physical aggression, or indirect and involve social isolation, defamation, and rumour spreading. Bullying occurs across all ages, socioeconomic classes, races, and cultures.
The following is a list of warning signsfor parents and teachers that may indicate if a child is a target of bullying:
It is therefore important that parents and teachers look out for warning signs that a child might be bullying others:
If you are a young person and feel that you are being bullied, you can use the following guidelines to take action:
Cyberbullying is any type of bullying that involves electronic media: sending or posting harmful text or images using mobile phones or other devices through e-mail, chat rooms, social media sites, instant messaging etc. It involves a power imbalance, sometimes in the form of a difference in technical expertise. It can have a wider audience than regular bullying and is repetitive, as many people can see a posting multiple times (e.g. image, video, text).
Personal Consideration
Almost anyone can become subjected to cyber bullying. It is the improper and malicious use of the Internet. It may have its origins outside the Internet, however you can try and reduce your risk of being bullied online by thinking before you send or share personal information and images online. Make sure that you are not sending anything that might be of detriment to you, your reputation or others. Ask yourself if you would be proud to look back at what you shared? If you put out positive images and words then, you are offering something positive to the online community, not of detriment.
Tips on what to do if it happens to you:
