Bullying is unwanted aggressive behavior by another person or group of people. In bullying, there is always an actual or perceived power imbalance, and the aggression is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated. Bullying also includes cyberbullying, a type of aggression that is carried out through electronic means, such as through the Internet, e-mail, or mobile devices. People of all ages can be bullied, and bullying may take place at home, school, or work. Because of cyberbullying, bullying can occur almost anywhere at any time.
Bullying is when a person or a group shows unwanted aggression toward another person.1 To be considered bullying, the behavior in question must be aggressive.2 The behavior must also involve an imbalance of power (e.g., physical strength, popularity, access to embarrassing details about a person) and be repetitive, meaning that it happens more than once or is highly likely to be repeated.2
Bullying can be2:
- Physical: punching, beating, kicking, or pushing; stealing, hiding, or damaging another person’s belongings; forcing someone to do things against his or her will
- Verbal: teasing, calling names, or insulting another person; threatening another person with physical harm; spreading rumors or untrue statements about another person
- Relational: refusing to talk to someone or making them feel left out; encouraging other individuals to bully someone
Bullying also includes cyberbullying and workplace bullying.
- Cyberbullying has increased with the increased use of the social media sites, the Internet, e-mail, and mobile devices.3 Unlike more traditional bullying, cyberbullying can be more anonymous and can occur nearly constantly.3 A person can be cyberbullied day or night, such as when they are checking their e mail, using Facebook or another social network site, or even when they are using a mobile phone.3
- Workplace bullying refers to adult behavior that is repeatedly aggressive and involves the use of power over another person at the workplace.4 Certain laws apply to adults in the workplace to help prevent such violence
What are risk factors for being bullied?
Those who are at risk of being bullied may have one or more risk factors1,2,3:
- Are seen as different from their peers (e.g., overweight, underweight, wear their hair differently, wear different clothing or wear glasses, or come from a different race/ethnicity)
- Are seen as weak or not able to defend themselves
- Are depressed, anxious, or have low self-esteem
- Have few friends or are less popular
- Do not socialize well with others
- Suffer from an intellectual or developmental disability
What are common signs of being bullied?
Signs of bullying include1,2,3:
- Depression, loneliness, or anxiety
- Low self-esteem
- Headaches, stomachaches, tiredness, or poor eating habits
- Missing school, disliking school, or having poorer school performance than previously
- Self-destructive behaviors, such as running away from home or inflicting harm on oneself
- Thinking about suicide or attempting to commit suicide
- Unexplained injuries
- Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry
- Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares
- Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations.
Signs a Child Is Being Bullied
Look for changes in the child. However, be aware that not all children who have been bullied exhibit warning signs.
Some signs that may point to a bullying problem are:
- Unexplainable injuries
- Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry
- Frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick or faking illness
- Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge eating. Kids may come home from school hungry because they did not eat lunch.
- Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares
- Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school
- Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations
- Feelings of helplessness or decreased self-esteem
- Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide
If you know someone in serious distress or danger, don’t ignore the problem.Signs a Child is Bullying Others
Kids may be bullying others if they:
- Get into physical or verbal fights
- Have friends who bully others
- Are increasingly aggressive
- Get sent to the principal’s office or to detention frequently
- Have unexplained extra money or new belongings
- Blame others for their problems
- Don’t accept responsibility for their actions
- Are competitive and worry about their reputation or popularity
Why don’t kids ask for help?
Statistics from the 2018 Indicators of School Crime and Safety – PDF show that only 20% of school bullying incidents were reported. Kids don’t tell adults for many reasons:
- Bullying can make a child feel helpless. Kids may want to handle it on their own to feel in control again. They may fear being seen as weak or a tattletale.
- Kids may fear backlash from the kid who bullied them.
- Bullying can be a humiliating experience. Kids may not want adults to know what is being said about them, whether true or false. They may also fear that adults will judge them or punish them for being weak.
- Kids who are bullied may already feel socially isolated. They may feel like no one cares or could understand.
- Kids may fear being rejected by their peers. Friends can help protect kids from bullying, and kids can fear losing this support.
What can be done to help someone who is being bullied?
To help someone who is being bullied, support the person and address the bullying behavior. Other ways to help—including what to do if a person is in immediate danger—are listed below.
Support a child who is being bullied:1
- You can listen to the child and let him or her know you are available to talk or even help. A child who is being bullied may struggle talking about it. Consider letting the child know there are other people who can talk with him or her about bullying. In addition, you might consider referring the child to a school counselor, psychologist, or another mental health specialist.
- Give the child advice about what he or she can do. You might want to include role-playing and acting out a bullying incident as you guide the child so that the child knows what to do in a real situation.
- Follow up with the child to show that you are committed to helping put a stop to the bullying.
Address the bullying behavior:1
- Make sure a child whom you suspect or know is bullying knows what the problem behavior is and why it is not acceptable.
- Show kids that bullying is taken seriously. If you know someone is being a bully to someone else, tell the bully that bullying will not be tolerated. It is important, however, to demonstrate good behavior when speaking with a bully so that you serve as a role model of good interpersonal behavior.
The “Bullying: Be More Than a Bystander” resource, which includes a presentation and facilitator’s guide, seeks to educate people about taking action against bullying. It suggests you can help someone who is being bullied in the following ways:2
- Be a friend to the person who is being bullied, so they do not feel alone.
- Tell a trusted adult if you see someone being bullied.
- Help the person get away from the bullying without putting yourself at risk.
- Don’t enable bullying by providing an audience.
- Set a good example by not bullying.
If you feel that you have taken all possible steps to prevent bullying and nothing has worked, or someone is in immediate danger, there are other ways for you to help.3
| The problem | What you can do |
|---|---|
| A crime has occurred or someone is at immediate risk of harm. | Call 911. |
| Someone is feeling hopeless, helpless, or thinking of suicide. | Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline online or at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This toll-free call goes to the nearest crisis center in a national network. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals. |
| Someone is acting differently, such as sad or anxious, having trouble completing tasks, or not taking care of themselves. | Find a local counselor or other mental health services. |
| A child is being bullied in school. | Contact the:
|
| Child is being bullied after school on the playground or in the neighborhood |
|
| The child’s school is not addressing the bullying | Contact the:
|
Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
Children with disabilities—such as physical, developmental, intellectual, emotional, and sensory disabilities—are at an increased risk of being bullied. Any number of factors— physical vulnerability, social skill challenges, or intolerant environments—may increase the risk. Research suggests that some children with disabilities may bully others as well.
Kids with special health needs, such as epilepsy or food allergies, also may be at higher risk of being bullied. Bullying can include making fun of kids because of their allergies or exposing them to the things they are allergic to. In these cases, bullying is not just serious, it can mean life or death.
Creating a Safe Environment for Youth with Disabilities
Special considerations are needed when addressing bullying in youth with disabilities. There are resources to help kids with disabilities who are bullied or who bully others. Youth with disabilities often have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or Section 504 plans that can be useful in crafting specialized approaches for preventing and responding to bullying. These plans can provide additional services that may be necessary. Additionally, civil rights laws protect students with disabilities against harassment.
Creating a Safe Environment for Youth with Special Health Needs
Youth with special health needs—such as diabetes requiring insulin regulation, food allergies, or youth with epilepsy— may require accommodations at school. In these cases they do not require an Individualized Education Program or Section 504 plan. However, schools can protect students with special health needs from bullying and related dangers. If a child with special health needs has a medical reaction, teachers should address the medical situation first before responding to the bullying. Educating kids and teachers about students’ special health needs and the dangers associated with certain actions and exposures can help keep kids safe.
Federal Civil Rights Laws and Youth with Disabilities
When bullying is directed at a child because of his or her established disability and it creates a hostile environment at school, bullying behavior may cross the line and become “disability harassment.” Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the school must address the harassment. Read more about federal civil rights laws.
Bullying Prevention for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Having special health care needs due to neurological, developmental, physical, and mental health conditions can add to the challenges children and young people face as they learn to navigate social situations in school and in life. While bullying and cyberbullying is an unfortunate reality for many young people, children with special healthcare needs are at greater risk for being targeted by their peers.
One reason children and young adults with special health care needs might be at higher risk for bullying is lack of peer support. Having friends who are respected by peers can prevent and protect against bullying. Ninety-five percent of 6- to 21-year-old students with disabilities were served in public schools in 2017. However, children with special health care needs may have difficulty getting around the school, trouble communicating and navigating social interactions, or may show signs of vulnerability and emotional distress. These challenges can make them be perceived as different, and increase their risk of aggression from peers.
Young people with special needs may benefit from, both individualized and class-wide approaches to address the specific effects of their condition and prevent them from becoming the target or perpetrator of bullying. Teachers, school staff, and other students need to understand the specific impairments of a child’s health condition so that they can develop strategies and supports to help them participate and succeed in class and with their peers.
Potential Perceived Differences
Children and youth with special needs are impacted by their conditions in a variety of ways. Every child is unique, and so are the ways that their health condition affects them. Some impairments, such as brain injuries or neurological conditions, can impact a child’s understanding of social interactions and they may not even know when they are being bullied. Here are a few ways that disabilities may affect children:
- Children and youth with cerebral palsy, spina bifida or other neurological or physical conditions can struggle with physical coordination and speech.
- Brain injuries can impair speech, movement, comprehension, and cognitive abilities or any combination of these. A child or youth with a brain injury may have trouble with body movements or speaking in a way that others can understand. It could take them longer to understand what is being said or to respond.
- Children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Tourette’s Syndrome may have difficulties with social interactions, sensitivities, impulsivity, and self-regulating their behavior or effectively communicating.
- A child or young person who experiences anxiety or depression or who has a mental health condition may be withdrawn, quiet, fearful, anxious, or vulnerable. They may exhibit intense social awkwardness or have difficulty speaking.
- Children who have epilepsy or behavioral disorders may exhibit erratic or unusual behavior that makes them stand out among their peers.
Supporting Special Needs and Preventing Bullying at School
Strategies to address students’ special needs at school can also help to prevent bullying and have positive outcomes for all students, especially tactics that use a team approach, foster peer relationships, and help students develop empathy. Some strategies include:
- Engaging students in developing high-interest activities in which everyone has a role to play in designing, executing or participating in the activity.
- Providing general up-front information to peers about the kinds of support children with special needs require, and have adults facilitate peer support.
- Creating a buddy system for children with special needs.
- Involving students in adaptive strategies in the classroom so that they participate in assisting and understanding the needs of others.
- Conducting team-based learning activities and rotate student groupings.
- Implementing social-emotional learning activities.
- Rewarding positive, helpful, inclusive behavior.
Peer Support Makes a Difference
Here are a few examples of innovative strategies used by schools to promote peer-to-peer learning, foster relationships, and prevent bullying:
- One high school created a weekly lunch program where student’s with and without special healthcare needs sat and ate lunch together. Several senior students led the group, and invited their friends to join. All kinds of students participated. The students got to know each other through question and answer periods and discussions over lunch. They discovered things they had in common and formed friendships. A group of them went to the prom together.
- Youth at one school held a wheelchair soccer night. Students with special healthcare needs that used wheelchairs coached their peers in how to use and navigate the wheelchairs to play. The students helped another peer who used a wheelchair who was interested in photography by mounting a digital camera on her chair so she could be the game photographer.
- Another school created a club rule that required clubs to rotate leadership responsibilities in club meetings so that every member had a chance to run the group. This allowed students with special health care needs to take on leadership roles.
Peer support is an important protective factor against bullying. By working together, teachers, parents and students can develop peer education, team-building, and leadership activities that foster friendships, build empathy, and prevent bullying to make schools safer and inclusive for all students, including children with special healthcare needs.
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