• What is bullying?

     
    Bullying is a widespread and serious problem that can happen anywhere. It is an insidious form of misbehavior that can result in harmful, even dire consequences.

    Although definitions of bullying vary, most agree that bullying involves:

    • Imbalance of Power: people who bully use their power to control or harm and the people being bullied may have a hard time defending themselves
    • Intent to Cause Harm: actions done by accident are not bullying; the person bullying has a goal to cause harm
    • Repetition: incidents of bullying happen to the same person over and over by the same person or group

    Bullying can take many forms. Examples include:

    • Verbal: name-calling, teasing
    • Social:spreading rumors, leaving people out on purpose, breaking up friendships 
    • Physical: hitting, punching, shoving
    • Cyberbullying: using the Internet, mobile phones, or other digital technologies to harm others