Bullying

What is bullying?

Bullying occurs when an individual (or a group of people) repeatedly and intentionally cause harm to another person (or group of people), who is unable to avoid being targeted.

Bullying can include:

• Physical bullying (hitting, tripping, damaging property)
• Verbal bullying (insults, teasing, intimidation)
• Social bullying (lying, spreading rumours, excluding, damaging someone's social reputation)
• Cyberbullying (hurtful texts, posts, images or videos, imitating others online).

Social bullying and cyberbullying can be considered ‘invisible’ or covert forms of bullying, as they are particularly difficult for teachers and parents to detect and address. As students get older, they are increasingly likely to bully others using these covert behaviours.

The risk of being cyberbullied increases with age and is most likely to occur in high school. Cyberbullying is particularly upsetting for young people, because it can occur in any time or place, be witnessed by a wide audience, and the perpetrator can hide their identity.

All forms of bullying can have serious consequences for the person targeted, for the person who learns to bully others to achieve their goals, and for those who witness the bullying. Bullying involvement is associated with feelings of being unsafe, poor relationships and social support, poor academic outcomes, and an increased risk of depression and other mental health issues.

Friends (64%) followed by parents or guardians (57%) and then teachers and other staff members (46%) are the people students most commonly turn to for help if they are bullied. Boys (33%) are more likely than girls (23%) to not ask anyone for help.

Telltale signs of being bullied can include:

• Changes in sleeping and eating patterns,
• Frequent tears or anger
• Feeling ill in the morning and not wanting to go to school
• Changing friendship groups and
• Unexplained bruises, cuts and scratches.

How common is bullying in Australia?

Despite attention to the problem by schools, communities and researchers, bullying continues to be highly prevalent in Australian schools.

Approximately 1 in 4 students in Years 4-9 is bullied every few weeks or more often, and frequent school bullying is highest among students in Year 5 and Year 8.

What can parents do?

It is important for parents to monitor their children’s online and offline activities and social interactions, and encourage their child to talk about any troubling experiences. If bullying has occurred, parents must be careful not to react with anger or take action without consulting their child. Young people often hide bullying from parents because they fear the parent will make things worse.

It is helpful for parents to use the LATE strategy:

1. Listen
2. Acknowledge it hurts
3. Talk about options
4. End with encouragement.

Schools and parents should also encourage students to be positive bystanders in online and offline settings. Those who witness bullying can help the person being targeted by standing up for them, telling a teacher or other adult, or by comforting them later. Students should be aware that they are contributing to bullying behaviour if they encourage the perpetrator or watch without taking action.