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Bullying can be quite difficult to describe, and people often have trouble knowing what is bullying and what isn't!
In general, it is something done on purpose with the aim of hurting or upsetting someone else . It's also a repeated action. You might call someone a name because you are angry with them - that's not bullying. But if you use that name again and again because you know it hurts them - that's bullying.
Bullying can also take many forms - here are just some of them:
name calling
cussing family
spreading gossip and rumours
threats
hitting, kicking, punching, spitting, tripping up
jacking (stealing) someone’s money, clothes or property
chucking someone's possessions around
ruining someone's property or work
ignoring someone, leaving them out of a group
peer pressure, manipulation
intimidation or threatening someone using gestures
making fun of someone or singling them out, because they find certain things difficult
messing with someone's head
- putting someone under pressure to act or look a certain way
- making someone do something that they don’t want to do or stopping them from doing something that they do want to do
- forcing someone to pick on someone else as part of a group to appear tough or be accepted
- Giving someone abuse for being different, looking different, having different
tastes and opinions, or even for being good at something
There are also many types of bullying:
bullying someone because of their skin colour or backgound/culture
bullying someone because of their beliefs or the beliefs they *don't* have
- bullying someone
because of their religion or their appearance – the way they have to dress or what they can or cannot eat
using
words like ‘gay’, ‘poof’, ‘lesbian’, ‘batty boy’ as insults against a
person
physically assaulting someone or leaving someone out because of
their real or assumed sexuality
calling things and inanimate objects 'gay' or 'queer'
using sexual words to put someone down; like slut, slag, ho, junge, sket, manwhore, dooshbag, pimp, player
speading rumours about someone's sex life or percieved sex life
inappropriate touching
sexual grafitti
forcing someone to act in a sexual manner
making sexual innuendo and propositions
making jokes about rape
singling someone out because they have a disability or learning difficulty
bullying someone for having a disabled brother or sister or parent, or friend.
Sending nasty or threatening texts or emails
Posting abusive messages online - on a social networking site, in a chatroom, or using Instant Messager
Posting humiliating videos or pictures online, or sending them on to other people
Taking on someone else's identity online in order to upset them
Setting up a hate site or a hate group on a SNS site
Prank calling
Lots of bullying behaviour can be more than one of these things, and there are lots more examples you can probably think of. See how it can be difficult to make one definition?!
The most important thing to remember is that if you are being hurt by someone else, then you need to do something about it. Not sure if it is bullying, or simply not sure what to do? Drop a message to a CyberMentor.
Learn more about cyber bullying >>
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