Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week is November 20–26. To mark this, AboutKidsHealth is sharing information for teens on bullying.
What does bullying look like?
Bullying can take many forms including the following:
- Punching, shoving and other acts that hurt people physically
- Spreading rumours about people
- Keeping certain people out of a group
- Teasing people in a mean way
- Getting other people to bully someone else
- Sending harassing or threatening messages online or by text message (cyberbullying)
- Threatening to do any of the above things
Cyberbullying is using the internet, texting and/or social media to intimidate, spread rumours, put down or make fun of someone. It can include sending someone threatening messages, posting or sharing personal information without permission and taking a photo of someone or sharing photos of a person without their permission.
What should teens do if they experience bullying?
Teens should be encouraged to stand up for themselves and others in a non-aggressive way if they or someone they know is being bullied. They should also tell an adult that they trust, such as a parent, teacher or guidance counsellor who can offer advice or step in to protect them. If a teenager has been physically assaulted or threatened, they should call the police.
Encourage your teen to hang out with friends who support them and will help to protect them from bullying.
What can teens do about cyberbullying?
- Treat people online the way they would in person; remind them not to say something to someone online that they would not say in person.
- Don’t share passwords with anyone other than a trusted adult.
- Don’t share personal information online.
- Never send nude photos of themselves or anyone else to anyone. If anyone in the photos is under the age of 18, the person who sends or shares the images could be charged with distributing child pornography.
- Teens should make a copy of any bullying or threatening message before they delete it (e.g., take a screenshot). They can also report harassment or inappropriate messages on most social media sites and apps.
AboutKidsHealth is SickKids’ health-education website and features more than 3,500 articles on a range of health topics. For more information on bullying, cyberbullying and other health topics, visit www.aboutkidshealth.ca.
