Starting a new year at school can be a lot of fun: there are new friends and teachers to look forward to, old friends to meet up with, and a whole new experience to enter. Sadly, all of this can easily fade into the background if bullying arises.
VoiceNation’s non profit organization, Voice4Nations, is extremely passionate about our Anti-Bullying Project to reduce the serious effects bullying has on kids and teens at school and in the community. We are working to raise awareness and reduce the impact of serious issues bullies, those being bullied, and their families face by providing helpful go-to resources for kids, parents, educators, and school programs.
Starting a new year at school can be a lot of fun: there are new friends and teachers to look forward to, old friends to meet up with, and a whole new experience to enter. Sadly, all of this can easily fade into the background if bullying arises.
There are many different forms of bullying and it is important for everyone to know about them so that it can be recognized and dealt with when it comes up. Don’t ever feel ashamed or scared of having to report an incident of bullying to a call center live answering service. Bullying, whatever the reason, is always wrong. There is always a way to deal with it, even if the situation may seem impossible. Read on through the rest of this article to learn how to spot the signs of bullying and how to protect yourself or friends from it.
What is Bullying
Bullying is a form of behavior that one or several people use to inflict mental or physical pain, discomfort or embarrassment upon someone else. Bullying can also be used as a way of exercising power. For example, a bully might order another person to do tasks for them that they should not normally be doing. Some bullies may use threats, insults or try to exclude a person out of the group of friends. Bullying happens with boys as well as girls. Sometimes bullying may be very subtle, but it is still just as bad as the more obvious forms.
- What is Bullying and Why do People Do It?
- A Kids’ Guide to Learning About Bullying
- Definitions and Facts About Bullying
- What Does a Bully Look Like?
- An Anti-Bullying Site, Just for Kids
What is Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that occurs through the Internet, phones, social media, IMs and other virtual means. Examples of cyberbullying include repeatedly contacting someone after they have stated that they want to be left alone, name-calling, posting mean comments about a person, altering their photos to intentionally make fun of them in a bad way, sending threats and so on. Some cyberbullies might even post as their victim, in order to get them into trouble. An important thing to remember is that victims are not entirely innocent. There are many instances in which cyberbully victims engage in cyberbulling against other people.
- A Definition of Cyberbullying
- Spot the Signs of Cyberbullying in Children
- Take a Quiz to Check if You’re a Cyberbully
- Watch a Cartoon About Cyberbullying
- Facts about Cyberbullying
What are Some Signs of Bullying
There are many ways to tell when someone is trying to bully you. The most obvious are physical and verbal. If someone intentionally hurts you in a physical way or says mean things, even through a voicemail message, those are both forms of bullying. Other types of bullying are more subtle, such as spreading rumors or leaving a person out of a group to make them feel bad. If you ever notice a sibling or friends with strange bruises or injuries or damage to their belongings, it may be a hint of bullying. They may also express it as a change in their behavior, such as having nightmares, avoiding school or becoming angry or depressed without any obvious reason. On the other hand, it is also important to recognize if you or someone you know is starting to act like a bully. Bullies tend to be aggressive with other people, especially those who are smaller or younger than them. Some bullies like to stick together in a group, and they may often be in detention. Very often, especially among girls, bullies will pretend to be a friend but then engage in peer pressure or indirect forms of bullying behind their backs.
- Find Out if You or Your Friends are Being Bullied or Are Bullies
- Recognize the Types of Bullying
- View the Signs of Harassment in Various Student Bullies and Victims
- Signs and Symptoms of Bullying
- Girls and Bullying
What are the Effects of Bullying
Bullying may have many different effects depending on the person. It most often results in the victim becoming increasingly afraid, withdrawn and even depressed. Bullying can even impact your health, studies and social life. This is one of the reasons why bullying should not be allowed to continue for any amount of time. Occasionally it may even have long-term effects in some people such as social insecurities or trouble with authoritative figures.
- Effects of Bullying
- How do Victims of Bullying Feel?
- The Effects of Cyberbullying
- Information for Parents on the Consequences of Bullying
Advice for Kids
One way to face bullying is to ignore it. Walk away and report the incident to a parent or teacher. Stick with your friends, since bullies find it harder to act badly towards a whole group of people as opposed to a single student. If you feel confident about the issue, perhaps have a calm talk with the bully. In trying to help them, you might be able to make them a better, happier person too. Very often, bullies act so mean because they are actually being bullied by other people. This makes them sad, angry or frustrated, and they in turn take out their emotions on kids who are not as strong as they are. Always remember that a good way to help stop bullying is to treat people with respect.
- Learn the 3 R’s of How to Stop Bullying
- Stick Together and Avoid Bullying
- How to Deal with Bullying
- What to Do if You Are Bullied Outside of School
- Easy Tips for Students, Parents and Teachers to Prevent Bullying
Resources for Students
- The Bully Roundup – Review the main points about bullies and test your knowledge in this fun online game.
- Help a Bullied Friend – This government site teachs kids how to help out a friend that may be bullied.
- How to Spot a Bully Quiz – Take this quiz to find out how to recognize a bully in your school or neighbourhood.
- The Bully E-Book – Download this free e-book (scroll to the bottom of the page) to learn more about bullying and how to cope effectively with it.
- Dealing with Bullies – Find out how to deal with bullies and read up on additional resources related to school bullying.
Resources for Parents and Teachers
- The Basics of Bullying – Learn about what bullying entails and its effect on young victims.
- Why Kids Bully – An insight into the psychology of child bullies and how to tell if your child is a victim.
- Signs of Bullying – Read about how to recognize the signs of a young bully as well as children who are experiencing bullying.
- Anti-Bullying Classroom Ideas – It is a great idea to bring up the subject of bullying in the classroom so that all students have an idea of what to watch out for.
- The Facts of Bullying – Gain a clearer perspective of youth bullying, from kids to teens.
