bullying definition essay

Defining school bullying and its implications on education, teachers and learners

Contributing to UNESCO’s work on fostering safe learning environments , which addresses many different forms of violence, the UNESCO Chair on Bullying and Cyberbullying, in collaboration with the World Anti-Bullying Forum (WABF), led an international working group to create a more holistic and inclusive definition of school bullying. Professor James O’Higgins Norman, UNESCO Chair on Bullying and Cyberbullying, shares his insights on this work.

Why revisit the definition of bullying?

Many current anti-bullying programmes in schools are rooted in early definitions characterizing bullying as an “unwanted aggressive behavior that is repeated over time and involves an imbalance of power or strength”. While this was groundbreaking at the time and advanced the work of researchers, policy makers, educators and others, evolving perspectives have deepened our understanding of bullying.

Research shows that progress in reducing school bullying has been slow, with only a 19% decrease in perpetration and a 15% drop in the rate of learners facing bullying. This means we must reassess our understanding and approaches to bullying, especially in our increasingly complex world, where both in-person and online bullying intertwine with personal and societal issues.

How are you revisiting the definition of bullying?

As a UNESCO Chair, my role involves facilitating interdisciplinary research and dialogue, and working towards a more holistic approach to bullying. Our recommendation for a ‘whole-education’ approach to tackle bullying recognizes individual, contextual, and societal dimensions.

With support from UNESCO and the WABF, I facilitated the working group to revisit the definition of bullying, consulting scholars, policymakers and practitioners worldwide. We gathered feedback from a diverse group and have conducted wide consultations. This working group was launched following the recommendations by a Scientific Committee on preventing and addressing school bullying and cyberbullying, convened by UNESCO and the French Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

What would a revised definition mean for education policymakers and practitioners, for school communities and learners?

The proposed definition promotes a holistic and inclusion-driven approach to tackling bullying and violence in schools and in online spaces. 

Crafting a more inclusive definition has the potential to break down academic and professional barriers, encouraging cooperation between sectors, and among scholars, policymakers, educators, and learners. It provides a solid foundation to better understand bullying particularly regarding those most marginalized due to appearance, ethnicity, gender, social class, or sexuality, among others. Bullying is a complex issue tied to individual, contextual, and structural factors, making collaboration essential.

Together, we can deepen our understanding and address not only the behavior but also the underlying systems and ideologies supporting bullying.

What is your vision for this improved definition of school bullying?

My vision aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, on education, in that our work on bullying, and all other forms of school violence, is aimed at ensuring an inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all. 

What message do you have for teachers and learners?

To teachers and school staff: Do not accept bullying as normal. Create a safe classroom environment by setting clear expectations for kindness and respect, remain vigilant for signs of bullying, stay informed about effective prevention strategies, and promptly address any incidents. Implement a robust anti-bullying policy. Under the idea of a ‘whole-education’ approach, collaborate with colleagues and parents, incorporate empathy and anti-bullying content into the curriculum, and use collaborative learning methods.

To learners: Report bullying, be confident in recognizing and responding to it, and encourage bystander intervention. You have the power to stop bullying.

New definition and what’s next?

The working group presented its proposed revised definition of school bullying at the WABF held in October 2023. The proposed definition reads:

School bullying is a damaging social process that is characterized by an imbalance of power driven by social (societal) and institutional norms. It is often repeated and manifests as unwanted interpersonal behaviour among students or school personnel that causes physical, social, and emotional harm to the targeted individuals or groups, and the wider school community.

This new inclusive definition of school bullying was largely welcomed by delegates at the Forum. The UNESCO Chair and WABF hope that this revised definition will contribute to opening a new chapter in the global conversation on the nature of and responses to bullying and cyberbullying. 

For UNESCO, the new definition of bullying reflects our approach and work to ensure that schools are safe and supportive learning environments. This means that to end all forms of school violence, including bullying, we must understand that these behaviours do not happen in isolation, that there are different drivers of violence, and that a ‘whole-education’ approach is needed. 

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Bullying Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on bullying.

Bullying refers to aggressive behavior so as to dominate the other person. It refers to the coercion of power over others so that one individual can dominate others. It is an act that is not one time, instead, it keeps on repeating over frequent intervals.  The person(s) who bullies others can be termed as bullies, who make fun of others due to several reasons. Bullying is a result of someone’s perception of the imbalance of power.

Types of bullying :

There can be various types of bullying, like:

• Physical bullying:  When the bullies try to physically hurt or torture someone, or even touch someone without his/her consent can be termed as physical bullying .
• Verbal bullying:  It is when a person taunts or teases the other person.
• Psychological bullying:  When a person or group of persons gossip about another person or exclude them from being part of the group, can be termed as psychological bullying.
• Cyber bullying:  When bullies make use of social media to insult or hurt someone. They may make comments bad and degrading comments on the person at the public forum and hence make the other person feel embarrassed. Bullies may also post personal information, pictures or videos on social media to deteriorate some one’s public image.

Read Essay on Cyber Bullying

Bullying can happen at any stage of life, such as school bullying, College bullying, Workplace bullying, Public Place bullying, etc. Many times not only the other persons but the family members or parents also unknowingly bully an individual by making constant discouraging remarks. Hence the victim gradually starts losing his/her self-esteem, and may also suffer from psychological disorders.

A UNESCO report says that 32% of students are bullied at schools worldwide. In our country as well, bullying is becoming quite common. Instead, bullying is becoming a major problem worldwide. It has been noted that physical bullying is prevalent amongst boys and psychological bullying is prevalent amongst girls.

Prevention strategies:

In the case of school bullying, parents and teachers can play an important role. They should try and notice the early symptoms of children/students such as behavioral change, lack of self-esteem, concentration deficit, etc. Early recognition of symptoms, prompt action and timely counseling can reduce the after-effects of bullying on the victim.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Anti-bullying laws :

One should be aware of the anti-bullying laws in India. Awareness about such laws may also create discouragement to the act of bullying amongst children and youngsters. Some information about anti-bullying laws is as follows:

• Laws in School: To put a notice on the notice board that if any student is found bullying other students then he/she can be rusticated. A committee should be formed which can have representatives from school, parents, legal, etc.
• Laws in Colleges: The government of India, in order to prevent ragging , has created guideline called “UGC regulations on curbing the menace of ragging in Higher Education Institutions,2009”.
• Cyber Bullying Laws: The victim can file a complaint under the Indian Penal Code .

Conclusion:

It is the duty of the parents to constantly preach their children about not bullying anyone and that it is wrong. Hence, if we, as a society need to grow and develop then we have to collectively work towards discouraging the act of bullying and hence make our children feel secure.

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What Are the Mental Health Effects of Bullying?

Bullying can have a significant impact on a person’s mental health and lead to anxiety, depression, and persistent low confidence.

Bullying can present itself in many types (verbal, physical, and social) and different spaces (school, workplace, and online). All can be harmful in the short and long term.

Bullying is a common problem affecting nearly 1 in 5 high school students on school property in the United States, and 1 in 6 high school students are bullied electronically (cyberbullying). For adults, bullying can be experienced in the workplace. A 2021 report says 30% of workers have direct experience with bullying.

According to research , the most frequent form of abuse children encounter is bullying by their peers. Studies also show that bullying has significant effects on children’s mental health and brain development.

What causes this behavior? What are its effects on mental health? And what can we do to prevent it?

What is bullying? 

Bullying is a type of aggressive behavior where one person or a group of people persistently aim to hurt someone emotionally or physically.

Bullying can take numerous forms, including physical contact, verbal insults, or more subtle behavior — all to inflict pain.

“Unfortunately, bullying will affect all youth at some point, whether they are the target, witness, or perpetrator,” says Dr. Anisha Patel-Dunn , the chief medical officer at LifeStance Health.

Types of bullying

There are three types of bullying :

Verbal bullying

Verbal bullying is saying or writing something hurtful. This includes:

• taunting someone
• saying inappropriate remarks
• making threats to hurt the other person

“Verbal bullying is name-calling, especially about physical appearance or some perceived weakness,” says Gabrielle A. Carlson , MD, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine in New York. “Also, making comments about race or ethnicity or background or where the kid lives. Anything to humiliate the kid.”

Sometimes, this kind of bullying aims to get the child to react, and then the bullied child gets into trouble. It’s sometimes hard to distinguish bullying from teasing, however. Sometimes kids consider themselves bullied if another kid doesn’t agree with them or do what they want.

Some children have a “hostile attributional bias” and see ambiguous situations as bullying, Carlson explains. It’s important to make the distinction.

Social bullying

Social bullying is damaging another person’s reputation or relationships. This includes:

• gossiping about someone
• embarrassing someone in front of others
• excluding someone from the group

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , more female high school students in the United States experience bullying than their male counterparts: 30% of female students experienced bullying at school or cyberbullying compared to 19% of male students.

“Relational aggression or social bullying is often the domain of girls, especially adolescent girls,” Carlson says. “Getting other girls to isolate the one who is the object of bullying is especially troubling. Or damaging their reputation and spreading false rumors about them.”

Cyberbullying also falls under this category (verbal and social bullying using social media).

“It’s important to note that cyberbullying can be just as detrimental to youths’ self-esteem as physical manifestations of bullying,” Patel-Dunn says.

“Given that many children and young adults are spending more time online as a result of the pandemic, they’re more likely to encounter cyberbullying and the negative mental health implications that come with that,” she adds.

A 2019 survey shows that 16% of children from grades 9 to 12 experience cyberbullying.

“What is particularly toxic about it is that it is often anonymous, and a whole system of constant insults and threats can be perpetrated that goes on and on, and you don’t know who the perpetrators are,” Carlson adds. “If someone trips you, you at least know who it is.”

Physical bullying

Physical bullying is causing harm to someone’s body or personal effects. This involves:

• taking another person’s things without permission
• breaking or causing harm to another person’s things

Bullying in the workplace

Bullying takes place among adults in the workplace as well.

According to a recent survey from the Workplace Bullying Institute, more than 79 million workers in the United States are affected by bullying. This figure includes those who are the targets of bullying and witnesses.

Bullying in the workplace can present as:

• excessive performance monitoring
• excessively harsh or unjust criticism
• being purposely given incorrect deadlines and instructions
• threats, humiliation, and other verbal abuse

The signs of bullying

“Kids who look, sound, and feel depressed are sometimes being bullied,” Carlson says. “Kids stop socializing and start avoiding social situations, including school. They become more irritable and/or anxious.”

Some specific warning signs to look for are:

• The child comes home from school with torn, damaged, or missing clothing, books and belongings.
• They have unexplained injuries, such as bruises, cuts, and scratches.
• The child doesn’t bring friends home after school or spend time at their homes. They seem isolated from other kids and may not have good friends to share time with.
• The child appears to be fearful about attending school, walking to and from school, or riding the bus.
• They choose a longer or unusual route for going to and from school.
• The child has poor appetite, headaches, and stomach aches especially before school.
• They ask for or take extra money from their family members.
• They appear anxious, distressed, unhappy, depressed, or tearful when they come home from school.
• They show unexpected mood shifts, irritability, or sudden outbursts of temper.
• The child has problems sleeping.
• They lose interest in school work and show a decline in academic performance.
• They talk about or attempt suicide.

“Warning signs that your child may be the victim of bullying can be varied, but a few examples are difficulty sleeping, low self-esteem, and changes in mood,” Patel-Dunn says.

“Children may also want to skip school if that is where the bullying is occurring, so any indication that they’re trying to avoid going to class can be another sign,” she adds.

If you notice a change in your child’s behavior and suspect they’re being bullied, it’s important to initiate a compassionate and nonjudgmental conversation.

The mental health effects of bullying

Bullying can have severe implications on a person’s mental health while it’s occurring and the trauma that comes later.

Research confirms the negative effects of bullying, which can cause:

• poor performance in school
• sleep disorders
• other health issues

Whether the bullying is verbal, physical, or social, it can cause deep-seated trauma and mental scars that could take years to heal. More specifically, the consequences depend on how long the bullying goes on and what’s done about it.

“Stopping the bullying or getting the child out of the circumstances is important. Otherwise, they just give up,” Carlson states. “Depression and social anxiety are […] consequences. So are suicide attempts and suicide.”

What you can do to help

To address bullying effectively requires a community approach.

“One of the most important things parents and educators can do is have open and honest conversations about bullying and the implications,” Patel-Dunn says. “Helping kids understand the various manifestations of bullying and generating that awareness is a key step.”

It’s also helpful to remind kids that they can turn to a support system.

“They don’t have to navigate these challenges alone — they should never feel embarrassed or ashamed to reach out to a parent, trusted adult, teacher, or counselor if they are experiencing bullying,” Patel-Dunn says.

A culture of respect at home and school is key.

“If bullies know they don’t have traction, they don’t bully,” Carlson says. “This needs to start at the top in schools. The administrators set the tone. If teachers set up the classroom so that they promote prosocial behavior, bullying is far less likely. What I hear over and over is that adults stood by and did nothing.”

Similarly, teaching kids how to respond to bullying is important – not just the kid being bullied but their peers.

“Other kids stand by for two reasons,” Carlson says. “They are terrified they’ll be next, or they are vicariously enjoying the bullying.”

Peer responsibility to intervene or to get an adult to intervene is critical, Carlson says. “One of the most effective suicide preventions is teaching kids to report any hint of suicidal thinking to adults. The same is true for bullying.”

Suicide prevention

If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available right now. You can:

• Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
• Text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
• A youth crisis hotline

If you’re outside the U.S., you can reach out to Befrienders Worldwide .

Let’s recap

Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior in which one person or a group of people intentionally and repeatedly aim to hurt someone emotionally or physically.

There are several types of bullying (verbal, social, and physical) and can take place in different spaces (school, workplace, and online).

Bullying can affect mental health and lead to anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.

But there are ways to spot the signs of bullying, foster a culture of respect among kids and peers, and properly and effectively respond to bullying.

If you or your child is experiencing bullying, there are resources you may find helpful.

• StopBullying.gov
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
• National Bullying Prevention Center

Looking for a therapist but not sure where to start? Psych Central’s How to Find Mental Health Support resource can help.

Last medically reviewed on March 18, 2022

9 sources collapsed

• Bullying. (n.d.) https://www.apa.org/topics/bullying
• Bullying at school and electronic bullying. (2021). https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a10
• Carlson GA. (2022). Personal interview.
• Namie G. (2021). 2021 Workplace Bullying Institute - U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey. https://workplacebullying.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-Full-Report.pdf
• Patel-Dunn A. (2022). Personal interview.
• Preventing bullying. (2021). https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/bullyingresearch/fastfact.html
• Quinlan EB, et al. (2018). Peer victimization and its impact on adolescent brain development and psychopathology. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-018-0297-9
• Wolke D, et al. (2015). Long-term effects of bullying. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC4552909/
• What is bullying. (2021). https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/what-is-bullying

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154 Bullying Topics & Bullying Essay Examples

Looking for an exciting research topic about bullying? This problem is very controversial, sensitive, and definitely worth studying

🏆 Top 10 Bullying Topics for Research Papers

📃 bullying essay: writing tips, 🏆 best bullying topics to write about, ⚡ most shocking bullying topics to write about, ✅ simple & easy shocking bullying essay titles, ✍️ bullying essay topics for college, ❓ research questions about bullying.

Examples of bullying can be found everywhere: in schools, workplaces, and even on the Internet (in the form of cyberbullying).

In this article, we’ve collected top bullying research paper topics and questions, as well as bullying essay samples and writing tips. Get inspired with us!

• Direct and indirect bullying: compare & contrast
• The causes of bullying
• Classroom bullying and its effects
• Social isolation as a form of bullying
• Bullying and academic performance
• Passive and active victims of bullying: compare and contrast
• The role of social agencies in bullying prevention
• Public policy for bullying and aggression
• Bullying behavior and psychological health
• Aggressive children and their family background

A bullying essay is a popular assignment in various subjects, including psychology, sociology, and education. Writing an excellent paper on the matter requires more than just in-depth research and planning. Don’t worry; there are some tips that will make writing an essay on bullying much easier:

• Choose a topic that allows analyzing and interpreting the problem. Instead of merely describing what bullying is, try to dig deeper into its causes, consequences, and solutions. If your professor didn’t suggest any topics, you may research bullying essay topics online and select one that would be exciting for you to explore.
• Read sample articles and papers online to see how other students approached the subject. Notice the bits that work and don’t work, and write them out to make the process of creating your essay easier. If you’re struggling with finding enough examples online, you may want to expand your search to discrimination essay topics and materials.
• Research what scholars say about bullying. Articles in scholarly journals are an excellent source of information because they are usually trustworthy. If you’re still in school, your ability to navigate the library or online databases will also impress your tutor. As you start researching, you will find that there is a great variety of studies, and it’s challenging to find the relevant ones. Narrowing down your search would help you to do that. For instance, if you are writing a cyber bullying essay, try searching for social media bullying or online anti-bullying services.
• Include real-life experiences where relevant. Unfortunately, bullying is a common problem in many institutions, and if you haven’t experienced it, your friends or family members probably have. If your tutor allows personal input, explore real-life experiences with bullying. Note the effects, preventive measures that worked or didn’t work, and what a person used to cope with bullying. If personal input is not allowed, you could ask your friends or relatives for ideas and then find high-quality sources that discuss similar problems.
• If you can, be creative about it! A powerful bullying essay example draws from a variety of sources to present material in a creative way and engage readers. Hence, this might be an excellent opportunity for you to include images or graphs in your paper. For example, anti-bullying posters could complement the sections of your work that talks about solutions to the problem. Quotes about bullying coming from famous persons would also be influential, especially if you include them at the beginning of your piece. If you like drawing or painting, you could try to put some of your ideas in graphic form – this will definitely earn you some extra marks! Just make sure to check with your tutor to see whether or not creative input is allowed.
• Structure your paper well to avoid gaps or inconsistencies. It would be beneficial to create a detailed bullying essay outline before you start working. A typical essay should include an introduction, two to three main paragraphs, and a conclusion. The first paragraph of your work should consist of some background information, whereas the last one should restate the points and close up the paper. A good bullying essay introduction should also feature a thesis statement that shows what the piece is about.

These tips will help you to write top-notch essays on bullying, as well as on related subjects. Don’t forget to browse our blog some more to find other helpful materials, including essay titles!

• The Problem of Bullying and Possible Solutions In general, bullying is a critical and complex issue prevailing among children; thus, it is essential to adopt different solutions to tackle it.
• Cyber Bullying Issue Therefore, the goal of this paper is to analyse who the victims of cyber bullying are and the influence it has on them.
• Bullying and Child Development Bullying is one of the common vices in schools that influences a lot of growth and development of children. Bullying also affects the ability of children to concentrate in school because they are always on […]
• Bullying and Its Effects in Society Secondary research is critical in the development of a background to the research, which helps in determining the validity of the problem and suggested research methodologies.
• School Bullying and Moral Development The middle childhood is marked by the development of basic literacy skills and understanding of other people’s behavior that would be crucial in creating effective later social cognitions. Therefore, addressing bullying in schools requires strategies […]
• Social Influence on Bullying in Schools The theory helps us to understand why the stronger members of the school population are likely to “rule” over the weaker members of the school as described in the social hierarchy concept in the theory.
• Bullying on Social Media Platforms It is consistent and repeating, taking advantage of the Internet’s anonymity with the main goal to anger, scare, or shame a victim.
• School Bullying: Causes and Police Prevention It is for this reason that there has been need for the intervention of the community and the government to address the issue of bullying schools lest the school environment becomes the worst place to […]
• The Impact of Workplace Bullying The negative impacts of bullying in the workplace develop as a result of ignorance among employees regarding the vice, unreported cases, as well as the negligence of organizational leaders.
• Verbal Bullying at School: How It Should Be Stopped This paper highlights some of the best practices that can be used by teachers in order to address this problem. So, this information can be of great benefit to them.
• Cyber Bullying and Positivist Theory of Crime Learning theory approaches to the explanation of criminal behavior have been associated with one of the major sociological theories of crime, the differential association theory.
• Cyber-Bullying Is a Crime: Discussion It is easy to see the effects of cyber-bullying but it is hard to find out who is the bully making it hard for authorities to pin the blame on the perpetrator of a crime […]
• Is Cyber Bullying Against Teenagers More Detrimental Than Face-To-Face Bullying? Social networking has also contributed greatly to the issue of cyber bullying especially in making it more harmful as compared to face-to-face bullying.
• The Issue of Bullying in the Schools It gives me joy to know that the issue of bullying is now a pubic affair since bullying stories were unheard of when I was growing up.
• Social Psychological Concepts of Bullying and Its Types Some of the factors that contribute to bullying include poor parenting, economic challenges, lack of mentorship, and jealousy among others. One of the main concepts used to explain bullying is that of parenting roles and […]
• Moral Development and Bullying in Children The understanding of moral development following the theories of Kohlberg and Gilligan can provide useful solutions to eliminating bullying in American schools.
• Bullying in School Face-to-face bullying is an interesting area of study because it clearly demonstrates bullying in school. Students consider bullying as a school culture even though it is contrary to the school rules and regulations of schools.
• Fights and Bullying Among Middle School Learners Alongside the positivist philosophy, the research adopted the survey strategy that involved the use of self-administered questionnaires to collect from the participants.
• Problem of Childhood Bullying in Modern Society To begin with, the family which is the basic and the most important unit in the society as well as the primary socializing agent plays a major role in shaping behavior of children include bullying.
• Workplace Bullying and Its Impact on Performance Workplace bullying refers to a deliberate, repeated, and continuous mistreatment of a worker or a group of workers by one or more colleagues in the workplace.
• The Effects of Cyber-Bullying and Cyber-Stalking on the Society In particular, one should focus on such issues as the disrespect for a person’s autonomy, the growing intensity of domestic violence and deteriorating mental health in the country.
• The ABC Model of Crisis: Bullying at School The next step is the identification of the nature of the crisis, and thus questions are as follows: Who is bullying you?
• Bullying as a Relational Aggression This resistance has been one of the obstacles to eliminating the cyber bullying in the schools. Schools and districts have been involved in the Challenge Day activities where children are advised on how to handle […]
• Cyber Bullying as a Virtual Menace The use of information and communication technologies to support a deliberate and most of the time repeated hostile behavior by an individual or groups of people with the sole intention of harming others, one is […]
• The Essence of Bullying: Healthy Societal Relations The aggressor frequently abuses the victim’s lower social standing to gain control of the situation and cause harm, which is another characteristic of the phenomenon.
• Bullying: Violence in Children and Adolescents Bullying is one of the most common manifestations of peer violence in children and adolescents. Prevention of bullying, cyberbullying included, has to occur in accordance with the IBSE Standards of social and emotional learning.
• Bullying and Cyberbullying in Modern Society Cyberbullying among adolescents and teenagers is defined as the purposeful and repetitive harm done by one or more peers in cyberspace as a result of using digital devices and social media platforms.
• Bullying, Its Forms, and Counteractions In addition, it is necessary to support those at the center of this bullying, as this can protect them from harmful effects and consequences.
• Incivility, Violence, and Bullying in the Healthcare Workplace The following step is to gather the team and communicate the necessity of change, assigning some individuals for the positions related to the change, in other terms, a support team.
• Effective Ways to Deal With Bullying in US Schools Teachers should ensure the bully is aware of the improper behavior, why it is improper, and the repercussions of the behavior.
• The Gay Teen Suicide & Bullying The article explains that the ones who survive may have access to extensive facilities, support, and status beyond their world of bullies, which sounds reasonable for me.
• Bullying in Nursing: Preventive Measures The prevention of bullying within the workplace is the responsibility of the leaders and managers. One of the significant principles which the leaders can implement is the behavioral code for the employees.
• Network Bullying: School Policy Framework The first step is to have a careful conversation with the student and an assessment by the school psychologist to ensure that there is a fright.
• How to Reduce Bullying in Senior Facilities One of the main reasons an individual may commit suicide due to bullying is because it may make an individual develop a negative self-image after the bullying incident. Some of the major bullying incidences that […]
• Active Shooter and Nursing Bullying Nurses should lock all doors and use tables and other objects to reinforce them to prevent any possibility of the active shooter getting to the patients’ room.
• Racist Bullying Among Black Students in US Universities This research focuses on the impact of bullying and racism among African American students in the country. What are the impacts of bullying and racism among Black students in U.S.universities?
• Bullying and Autism Spectrum Disorder In fact, bullying as a social phenomenon can be characterized as a social and interaction issue; therefore, it is possible to analyze the connection between autism and acts of bullying and inappropriate behavior.
• Eliminating the Problem of Online Bullying Eliminating the problem of online bullying is vital for improving the mental health of adolescents and young adults and allowing them to build their lives free of adverse external influences. It is possible to see […]
• Sexual Bullying in Schools and Its Influence The author states the difference in the mental and physical maturation of girls and boys as one of the core roots of the issue.
• Bullying and Harassment in the Healthcare Workplace This paper is written to explore the origins of discrimination and harassment in the healthcare workplace. Bullying begins early in medical college and residencies; it has been referred to as an element of the learning […]
• Bullying in Healthcare and Its Consequences Nancy was big and the manager used that to tease her every opportunity she got. It was important to confront the bully and support the victim.
• Queer (LGBT) Teenage Bullying at School The importance of this source to the research is associated with the significant role that youth organizations have to play towards minimizing bullying among LGBT students.
• Bullying of Children: Misconceptions and Preventive Measures As a result, the density of shows and articles devoted to bullying creates an illusion that this event appears more often than it does in reality.
• Bullying Behavior and Impact of Hegemonic Masculinity Rosen and Nofziger applied a quantitative research design to explore the relationships between students’ bullying experiences and race, age, and socioeconomic status and identify the frequency of bullying.
• Bullying and Incivility in Clinical Setting The problem of bullying and incivility in a clinical setting can negatively affect the quality of care provided, so it needs to be managed.
• Bullying and Its Influences on a Person It is common for victims of bullying to develop mental health issues, as they were placed in stressful situations and had a constant fear along with depression in some cases. Making friends is one of […]
• Overview of the Problem of Bullying Undoubtedly, there is no way each person would be able to share and divide their opinion with everyone else because people are not identical, and they tend to have various perspectives.
• “Bullying in Schools”: The Aspects of Bullying In their article, Menesini and Salmivalli examine the current state of knowledge on the topic and thoroughly discuss all of the aspects of bullying.
• Analysis of Bullying and Parenting Style Since the given topic usually refers to children and adolescents, it is evident that their parents hold a portion of responsibility because the adults affect the growth and development of young individuals.
• Hate Crimes – Bullying More than two-thirds of children and adolescents experience bullying and more than one-fourth of them report extreme forms of coercion.
• Bullying Management: Mass Awareness Program Bulletin.”Teachers, trained to help to rebuild trust, confidence, growth, and commitment through mass awareness to arrest bullying in high schools”. The proposed mass action program is meant to promote awareness on the need to stop […]
• An Anti-Bullying Program Integrated With PRAISE by Ackerman I chose to describe bullying because of the importance of the topic and due to my personal interest in it. Education will eliminate most of the reasons for bullying and provide students with the E […]
• Bullying Through Social Media: Methods An Informed Consent Document will be provided to participants prior to the research, explaining the purpose of the study and promising to protect their identity.
• Bullying Through Social Media: Research Proposal The hypothesis of the study is as follows: the role of adolescents in a cyberbullying situation is interconnected with their psychological characteristics.
• Bullying Through Social Media In particular, inequality in the position of the persecutor and the victim is evident – the aggressor can be anonymous, and there can be many of them.
• Bullying of Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic Then, the principles of adult learning will be used to develop and implement an information product to improve the nursing workforce’s bullying awareness and the knowledge of healthy conflict resolution in the workplace.
• Bullying in Healthcare Organizations: Impact on Nursing Practice Bullying in business entities is a common phenomenon, but the extent of its influence on the “production process” in healthcare and medicine institutions is only beginning to be recognized.
• Workplace Bullying Among Nurses in the Acute Setting Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the frequency of conflicts between nurses and their colleagues and managers has increased significantly in my workplace.
• Bullying Perpetration Among School-Aged Children Mucherah et al.examined how the school climate and teachers’ sanctions against bullying relate to the risk of becoming a victim or perpetrator of bullying.
• Programming for a Year 5 Class on Bullying As a result, in Lesson 6, they will offer their project addressing bullying behaviour and present it to their class, which is the main aim of the Unit Plan.
• Injury and Violence Prevention: – Bullying The aim of preventing injury and violence from bullying is to enable the student to have a healthy social and physical life that will enable them to perform well in their studies and live healthily.
• Cyber-Bullying vs. Traditional Bullying: Its Psychological Effects The researchers presented the recent statistics in order to illustrate the negative social and psychological effects of cyber-bullying in contrast to the traditional bullying in schools.
• Bullying in the Workplace Old Nurse to New Nurse This unvoiced scourge in nursing is characteristically encouraged by the need of bullies to have a total control of a person. Resignation of nurses due to bullying can lead to shortage of nurses in hospitals.
• Bullying and Peer Abuse Especially at work, targets fear coming to work and this will have an adverse result in the efficiency of the staff in the hospital.
• Bullying in the Nursing Workplace Bullying in the nursing workplace, in this case, causes the one bullied to have a feeling of defenselessness and takes away the nurses’ right to dignity at his or her workplace.
• Cyberbullying and Bullying: Similarities While deciding on fitting and balanced sanctions, it is vital to reflect on the ways in which cyberbullying events differ in effect in comparison to other forms of bullying.
• Protection From Bullying: Methods That Work Because of this, it is vital that parents, teachers, and guardians educate themselves on the nature of bullying and work together to develop effective methods and strategies that would help to overcome the problem.
• Psychology: Social Media and Bullying The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issue of social media and bullying and express the author’s opinion on the matter.
• Bullying of LGBTQ Students in American Schools The chosen article focuses on the issue of bullying of LGBTQ students in American schools and its legal repercussions. The author shows that students who are openly gay or bi, as well as those who […]
• Workplace Bullying and Its Impact on People and Society The paper follows a traditional structure with the introduction and body paragraphs that provide essential information devoted to the problem, and improve the understanding of the concept of bullying.
• “Bullying Behavior Among Radiation Therapists” by Johnson and Trad The literature review encompassed a considerable number of sources pertinent to the study and recent enough to be relevant; all the publications were dated within the last fifteen years.
• Human Rights Issues in Australia: Bullying Among School-Going Age and Young People The focus of the topic of the day is on bullying. It is used to prevent or avoid the occurrence of a bullying experience.
• Bullying and Worker’s Harassment in Western Australia In most of the armed services in Australia, new recruits and women are commonly the victims of bullying and harassment despite the fact that it is unacceptable.
• Aggression and Bullying in the Workplace Investigation Aggression, the effects of which are often equated with the death wish, is an instinct like any other and in natural conditions, it helps just as much as any other to ensure the survival of […]
• Bullying: History and Mechanisms for Prevention Students are encouraged to not participate in bullying and to help prevent bullying of others through positive social reactions to incidences of bullying” and Sharing of Scenarios: “Each group will give feedback and share other […]
• Behaviour Management: Bullying The typical behaviors which I saw in the child who got bullied are: The victim of this bullying is physically weak and a soft-natured one.
• Conflict Resolution Tactics and Bullying This study is interesting to the extent that it shows how the social environment impacts the development of a child and how it shapes his or her conflict resolution techniques.
• School Bullying: Case Analysis Even today there is no generally accepted definition of bullying but it is thought that when an individual is for a long period of time is exposed to repeat negative actions and behavior by one […]
• Bullying in the Workplace as a Psychological Harassment Another form of bullying in the workplace is physical assault in the sense that if the workers are not at ease with each other and when the rules and regulations are not at all observed, […]
• “Adolescents’ Perception of Bullying” by Frisen et al. The second and the third aims of the study were “to describe how adolescents perceive bullies” and “to describe what adolescents believe to be important in order to stop bullying”, respectively.
• The Long Term Effects of Bullying in Elementary School Wolke and Lereya argue that the problem is that the majority of studies on bullying are cross-sectional and only use follow-ups after a short period of time.
• Anti-Bullying and Work Quality Improvement Initiative Given the specifics of the work of nurses, conflicts of this kind negatively affect both the whole process of work and the health of patients in particular.
• Workplace Bullying, Salivary Cortisol and Long-Term Sickness Absence The purpose of this cohort-based study was to investigate the extent to which cortisol levels were associated with sickness absence and the relationships between workplace bullying and sickness absence through the prism of cortisol use.
• Workplace Bullying in Australia It is possible to offer several recommendations that can reduce the risk of bullying in organisations. In this case, more attention should be paid to the absence of mechanisms that can protect the victims of […]
• Domestic Violence and Bullying in Schools It also states the major variables related to bullying in schools. They will confirm that social-economic status, gender, and race can contribute to bullying in schools.
• Staff Training as a Solution to Workplace Bullying Furthermore, it has an appeal to logos as the writer has facts about the prevalence of workplace bullying in the USA.
• The “Bully-Free” Initiative: Bullying in Education The students need to have a clear idea that bullying goes against the rules of the school and which actions may be considered bullying.
• Free Speech vs. Bullying Laws One of the topical aspects of modern democracy is the freedom of speech expressed in an ability to come up with personal ideas and the lack of restrictions on the right of expression through publicity.
• Gender and Bullying Issues in Nursing A lack of tolerance for workplace harassment and bullying is likely to lead to the deterioration of the situation and further misunderstanding and tension in an organization.
• Bullying and Cyberbullying Among Peers They are facing the dilemma of how to react, whether they have to fight a superior force of the enemy or to complain to teachers and parents, undermining their reputation.
• Bullying in Schools and Its Major Reasons As of now, the most important goal in research studies covering the topic of bullying in schools is to understand the mechanisms behind bullying promotion and prevention.
• Bullying in Schools: Worldwide Study and Survey The parents were asked to rate the frequency of the bullying that their children experience and to describe the experience of bullying that their children went through.
• Bullying Prevention Programs Some teachers and professors claim that their students cannot show their potential in their hobbies due to the limitations they experience because of bullies around them. As it is mentioned above, educators do not control […]
• Bullying and Its Impact Thus, the current paper is dedicated to the issue of bullying and its effects as well as anti-bullying practices as related to peer victimization.
• Dealing With Workplace Bullying According to the report presented by the University of Louisville, workplace bullying is a repeated action of one employee or a group of employees towards another individual or group. Dealing with bullying in the workplace […]
• Bullying Policies in Walton School District and Georgia University The sample bullying policy language in Walton School District is very similar to the language in the policy of the University of Georgia.
• Amanda Todd’s Bullying and Suicide Story She was fifteen years old, and her story created a major uproar in the press, as it showed the true nature of bullying and the effects it has on the person.
• Bullying in America: Causes and Prevention That is why it is important to pay attention to the reasons why bullying occurs and ways in which it can be reduced.
• Bullying, Facts and Countermeasures Whether it is the bully or the bullied, the parents will need to do a lot to see to it that their children are brought up in the best of the behaviors.
• Bullying as Social and Criminal Deviance The most important step in the student’s guide to research that I would need to analyze bullying is defining the topic.
• Bullying and Legislation in Australian Workplace According to the authors of the article, workplace bullying can be characterized as internal violence. According to the authors of the article, bullying is a widespread phenomenon and is a common attribute of many organizations.
• Bullying at Australian School: Causes and Solution The technological breakthrough that was witnessed in the late 90s and the early 2000s also contributed to the development of the phenomenon, sparking the concepts such as cyberbullying and online bullying.
• Workplace Bullying in The Playground Never Ends The primary reason for becoming a bully is primarily seen in fear to lose authority or formal positions in an organization and have more institutional power than that of the targets.
• Bullying and Suicide in High Schools The main limitation of this research is that the scholars surveyed the victims more often. The victims of cyberbullying also had a tendency to be depressed and contemplate suicide.
• School-Aged Children’ Bullying Behaviors It is due to this that the work of Janssen et al.sought to show just how potentially damaging this behavior could be and the potential psychological repercussions it could have on young children due to […]
• College Students: Suicide and Bullying-Methods The analysts used this tool to report the mood of the participants by posting quizzes, which the students answered while filling the questionnaire.
• Childhood Bullying and Adulthood Suicide Connection In this regard, the seriousness of the issue is depicted in research results that indicate that at least 50% of children and youth in the US have experienced bullying situations as either bullies or victims […]
• Girl-To-Girl Bullying and Mean Stinks Program The positive results can be achieved by the implementation of the multiple educational programs, the increase in public awareness, and promotion of the values of the healthy relationships.”Mean Stinks” is exactly the program with the […]
• Association of Parenting Factors With Bullying The lack of the parental support is the main cause of students’ deviant behaviors at school, including the cases of bullying, and those parents who pay much attention to developing their career cannot provide the […]
• The Problem of Workplace Bullying In particular, this paper will include the discussion of the research articles, reports and case studies that describe the causes of workplace bullying and the strategies used by companies in an effort to overcome it.
• College Students: Suicide and Bullying The misconception that bullying is a minor issue among college students has contributed to the high number of students who suffer because of bullying.
• Homosexual Students and Bullying Specifically, the section addresses the prevalence of bullying in schools and the level of bullying in bisexuals, gay males, and lesbians.
• Social Psychology of Violence and Bullying in Schools Bullying is a common phenomenon in schools and it is reported that it results in violence in learning institutions in the end.
• Bullying and Suicide: The Correlation Between Bullying and Suicide Nonetheless, the extensive research shows that the correlation exists and bullying is one of the risk factors for development of suicidal ideas in adolescents.
• Nature of Bullying In this paper, central focus is going to be on the nature of bullying of children in my hometown, Orlando Florida, how it can be solved, and most importantly; establishing the importance of having knowledge […]
• Cyber Bullying Reduction Program Table of Activities Activity Significance Assembling parents/guardians, students and teachers to announce and explain the program in the institution To enlighten parents/guardians, students and teachers about the rules and regulation enacted due to the threat […]
• Cyber Bullying Prevention in Learning Institutions: Systematic Approach To start with, the students are provided with ways of reporting their concern to the educational institution, and when the staff members of the institution receive the report, they evaluate the information together with the […]
• Discouraging and Eliminating Cyber Bullying Resources Role of the resource/input Statement forms To facilitate information transfer to the staff Counseling Personnel To arm students against the problem Bullying report system To create efficient internet enhance report system Regulation implementation documents […]
• School Bullying: Methods for Managing the Problem The investigation of relevant studies on the methods for stopping school bullying reveals that the most effective ways of eliminating this type of behavior include providing training for teachers, encouraging students to participate in the […]
• High School Bullying Effective Responses Emphasis will also be made on the kind of audience to read this article because the contents of this study need to be at par with other similar articles in the journal to be selected.
• Bullying and Suicide Among Teenagers Specific objectives Analyze the causes of bullying among teenagers in the country Analyze the effects of bullying among victims, perpetrators and by-standers Analyze the relationship between bullying in school and suicide among teenagers in the […]
• Bullying in the Workplace Organizational leaders have an ethical obligation to ensure that they deal with cases of bullying within the workplace in a professional manner that demonstrates equality, honesty, and high sensitivity to the needs of others.
• Social Bullying in Jeff Cohen’s “Monster Culture” It is clear that his part of character is mostly dominant in the childhood stages, as children are not able to develop a sense of morality and predict the consequences of their actions.
• Cyber Bullying and Its Forms The difference between the conventional way of bullying and cyber bullying is that in conventional bullying, there is contact between the bully and the victim.
• Problem of Workplace Bullying Authority intervention should occur when the employees fail to respond to awareness intervention, and thus decide to continue with their behaviors.
• Problem of the Managing Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace Employees in an organization have a specific role that they are supposed to play and this means that there might be shortcomings which should not lead to bullying.
• Does Bullying Cause Emotional Problems? However, the current study was relevant because of this design, for the scope of the study covered as well as the results were accurate, and the conclusions drawn were correct.
• Ban High School Bullying A number of stakeholders contribute to the high prevalence of bullying in American schools. Schools that ignore bullying are a big part of the problem and they need to be held accountable.
• The Problem of Bullying While most states in the United States of America have laws to protect people from bullying, the federal government is yet to enact an anti-bullying law.
• Ethical Case: Facebook Gossip or Cyberbullying? The best option to Paige is to apologize publicly and withdraw her comments. The final stage is to act and reflect the outcome of the choice made.
• Bullying on the Rise: Should Federal Government Enact Federal-Bullying Laws? This paper will thus use both primary and secondary data to discuss the prevalence of bullying in schools and whether the federal govern should enact federal laws to curb the social vice at school.
• Character Traits of Bullying Despite the fact that such characteristics may differ from child to child, it is the common feature of difference that makes the target children get noticed by the bullies.
• Bullying in the Schools Furthermore, the law states that training should be done to the teachers as well as the other members of staff on how to deal with bullying and the law also needs the schools to report […]
• Troubled Adolescent due to Bullying His lowered self-esteem would make him to observe the common behaviours of the older boys quietly and accept the situation as a cultural practice.
• Workplace bullying: does it exist?
• What are the three key elements of bullying?
• How does bullying affect those who observe it?
• Direct and indirect bullying: what is the difference?
• What families do bullies typically come from?
• Aggressive children: what is their future?
• How to prevent bullying in schools?
• School bullying and domestic violence: is there a connection?
• Cyberbullying: how to prevent it?
• What can parents do to prevent their children from bullying?
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Identifying and addressing bullying.

Muhammad Waseem ; Amanda B. Nickerson .

Affiliations

Last Update: December 13, 2023 .

• Continuing Education Activity

Bullying is a serious and widespread global problem with detrimental consequences for the physical and mental well-being of children. It is a repeated and deliberate pattern of aggressive or hurtful behavior targeting individuals perceived as less powerful. Bullying manifests in various forms, such as physical, verbal, social/relational, and cyberbullying, each with unique characteristics. Vulnerable youth at greater risk of being bullied are individuals who are perceived as "different,"  including those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, refugees, individuals with notable physical features or disabilities, and younger and defenseless children.

Healthcare professionals are uniquely positioned to identify and prevent bullying and intervene to mitigate its mental and physical health consequences. This activity reviews issues of particular importance to clinicians. It gives them practical tips to increase their awareness of bullying, enabling early recognition and effective management of this complex issue. Bullying is a problem that affects both the victims and the perpetrators, and this course equips learners with the knowledge and skills to positively impact the lives of the youth it affects.

• Identify signs and symptoms of bullying behavior, recognizing overt and subtle indications of victimization.
• Differentiate between various forms of bullying, including physical, verbal, social, and cyberbullying, to tailor appropriate intervention strategies.
• Assess the underlying causes of bullying behavior, including social and psychological factors, to develop prevention and intervention strategies.
• Collaborate with interprofessional team members to select appropriate therapeutic interventions and resources for victims and perpetrators of bullying.
• Introduction

Bullying is a significant and pervasive yet preventable public health problem with detrimental consequences for children's physical and mental well-being. Bullying is a repeated and deliberate pattern of aggressive or hurtful behavior targeting individuals perceived as less powerful. [1] The CDC's formal and somewhat unwieldy definition is "any unwanted aggressive behavior by another youth or group of youths who are not siblings or current dating partners that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated."[CDC. Fast Facts: Preventing Bullying ] In Australia, the National Center Against Bullying defines bullying as an "ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical or social behavior that intends to cause physical, social, or psychological harm." This activity focuses on children and youth younger than 18 and does not address adult or workplace bullying. 

Historically, bullying has been seen as a "rite of passage" in childhood, and even today, there often is a tacit acceptance of bullying behavior. Many healthcare professionals struggle to accept bullying as a public health issue. An increased awareness of the long-term consequences on physical and mental health necessitates a shift in these attitudes.[Campbell, Kristin. Bullying and Victimization . AAP] Populations at greater risk are those perceived as "different," including racial, religious, and ethnic minorities, immigrants, refugees, individuals with notable physical features or disabilities, and younger or more vulnerable children. Bullying episodes are usually unprovoked and deliberate, and bullies often seek visibility and prestige through their actions.

Healthcare professionals play a vital role in preventing and identifying bullying and assisting with mitigating its mental and physical health consequences. This overview provides clinicians with the knowledge and tools to increase their awareness of bullying, enabling early recognition and effective intervention. Bullying is a problem that affects victims, perpetrators, and bystanders, and this overview equips clinicians with the skills to improve the lives of affected youth.

Bullying can happen anywhere, although it is most common in and around schools. Bullying usually occurs in relatively unstructured situations and minimally supervised areas such as playgrounds, cafeterias, hallways, bus stops, and buses. Bullying manifests in various forms, such as physical, verbal, social/relational, and cyberbullying, each having unique characteristics. Verbal bullying, including name-calling and taunting, is the most frequent.

Cyberbullying has received much attention in the past few years, as children and teens now have easy access to digital devices and social media sites. Cyberbullying manifests as text messages, social media posts, emails, online forums, and other platforms, and the risk increases considerably with the duration of a child's online activity. The term was first coined in the 1990s but has only become a significant concern in the 21st century as rates have risen, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when electronic media use soared during lockdowns. Name-calling occurs most frequently, but 15% of youth bullied online describe being scared. Teens also report receiving unsolicited and explicit images meant to intimidate them.[Vogels, Emily. Teens and Cyberbullying 2022 ]

Artificial intelligence (AI) has complicated this issue. The Wall Street Journal wrote about a group of high school boys who used an online tool powered by AI to create nude photographs of female classmates, which they spread electronically. Although this might have been an isolated event, these fake nude likenesses will persist in cyberspace indefinitely and are likely to cause irreparable adverse effects.[WSJ. Nov 4-5, 2023, p1] Despite these growing concerns, only 11% of teens talk with their parents or caregivers about their cyberbullying experiences.[Security.org. Cyberbullying ] Identifying this form of bullying is challenging because the episodes may be less repetitive than typical verbal or physical bullying. [2]  In many instances, perpetrators remain anonymous, allowing them to engage in behavior they might not display face-to-face with their victims. Because online content is easily preserved and disseminated, cyberbullying results in ongoing suffering, especially when hurtful messages "go viral." Cyberbullying differs from traditional bullying as it does not rely on physical proximity or a specific location and can occur at any time of day or night. Traditional bullying at school usually does not extend to the home setting, but victims of cyberbullying may feel they cannot escape since their electronic devices are turned on 24/7. Like traditional bullying, cyberbullying can cause profound adverse psychological effects.

Relational or social bullying occurs when the aggressor manipulates social relationships to harm or control the victim. Unlike physical and verbal bullying, which involve direct acts of aggression, relational bullying is more subtle. The aggressors often rely on tactics such as spreading rumors, excluding victims from social groups, and manipulating social dynamics to damage reputations or relationships. In social bullying, the bully aims to isolate, hurt, or control the victim emotionally, which can result in psychological and emotional sequelae. Social bullying is no longer restricted to the schoolyard but frequently takes the form of cyberbullying.

Clinicians play a crucial role in identifying bullying and treating the children it impacts. They screen patients for risk factors, educate families about coping skills, and advocate in their communities and local schools. School anti-bullying measures can help prevent bullying and empower youth to intervene when they are bystanders. This overview describes how clinicians can address bullying in an outpatient setting to improve child well-being and reduce its physical, psychological, social, and educational harms.

What creates a bully? Bullying results from a complex combination of individual, social, and environmental factors, and many youths who engage in it have specific backgrounds and qualities. Likewise, victims often share similar traits. 

Exposure to adverse childhood events increases the likelihood of becoming a bully. Associated characteristics include aggression, frustration, lack of empathy, poor impulse control, a tendency to blame others for their problems, an inability to accept responsibility for one's actions, a desire for power, the perception that others are hostile, and having friends who are bullies. Bullies have also been noted to exhibit more antisocial behaviors and use more marijuana and alcohol than their peers. [3]  Bullies do not always need to be physically stronger than their victims. The perceived power imbalance is derived from many factors, including popularity, socioeconomic status, peer group, and cognitive ability. Bullies frequently use their behavior to gain social status within their peer group. [4]  Some perpetrators may not consciously consider themselves bullies, especially those previously victimized. 

Bullying affects all socioeconomic groups, and lower socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with higher rates of victimization. Still, higher SES does not necessarily prevent an individual from being targeted. [5] [6]  Children from dysfunctional families or those exposed to violence at home are more vulnerable. However, protective factors include being connected with a supportive family or caring adult, strong peer relationships, and having close friends. [7] [Bass, P and Scholar, S. How to Identify and Treat Bullying . Contemporary PEDS Journal] Empowering children with skills to cope with their feelings has been shown to shield them somewhat from bullying's negative effects. [8]  

Children perceived as "different" from their peers are more likely to experience bullying. [9]  This includes youth from racial and ethnic minorities, who may also be disproportionately impacted by other factors associated with bullying, such as adverse community and school environments. A strong ethnic identity and positive cultural and family values, however, may protect these children from the hurtful effects of bullying. [10]  Likewise, youth from religious minorities or immigrant and refugee groups are targeted more often than their peers. Other examples include children with noticeable physical features, such as birthmarks, tall or short stature, disabilities, and chronic medical conditions, including severe acne, seizures, neurofibromatosis, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorder (ADHD), and obesity. [11]  Teens with obesity are twice as likely to be bullied as their normal-weight peers. [12]  Children who are socially isolated, unpopular, lacking in interpersonal skills, or those with few friends are vulnerable as well. 

Bullying frequently serves to enforce perceived social norms within adolescent peer groups, such as heterosexual relationships and traditional gender roles. Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ)  often find themselves the targets of bias-based bullying, with a reported incidence nearly twice that of other students. They experience higher rates of verbal bullying, physical bullying, and cyberbullying, leading to injuries, emotional distress, and even suicide.[Earnshaw et al. LBGTQ Bullying . AAP] 

Some individuals who engage in bullying behavior may have experienced bullying or victimization themselves. These "bully victims" are at even higher risk of psychosomatic and behavioral problems than their uninvolved peers and report increased rates of suicidal ideation and attempts.[Flannery et al. Bullying and School Violence. Pediatrics Clinics of North America ] 

• Epidemiology

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics' School Crime Supplement (2019), 22% of students aged 12 to 18 report being bullied at school. Teachers and academic administrators consider it a frequent disciplinary problem, with 14% saying they deal with it daily or at least weekly. The types of bullying reported include being the subject of rumors (15%), verbal taunting (14%), exclusion from activities (6%), being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on (5%), physical threats (4%), and coercion for students to do things they did not want to or the destruction of their possessions. (2%)

The CDC (Preventing Bullying, 2023) reports that about 20% of US high school students report being bullied at school, with 17% overall and as many as 30% of girls reporting cyberbullying. Half say that cyberbullying is a "major problem."[Vogels, Emily.  Teens and Cyberbullying 2022 ]

About 40% of children report witnessing bullying at their school. [13]  This is a global issue, with cited rates internationally ranging from 5% to 45%. [14]  Most studies report a greater prevalence among boys than girls, especially among middle school children. For boys, physical and verbal bullying is typical, but girls experience more verbal and social bullying. [15]  Traditional bullying peaks around age 12 and then gradually declines. Recent research suggests that social and cyberbullying continue to increase during adolescence. [15] [16]  Racial, religious, and ethnic minority youth are disproportionately influenced by bullying, and Black teens experience bullying more than other groups. [17] [18]  They are twice as likely as Hispanic or White teens to report they feel their race made them a target of cyberbullying.[Vogels, Emily.  Teens and Cyberbullying 2022 ]

Approximately 40% of high school students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or unsure of their sexual identity report being bullied, while 22% of bisexual high school students report being targeted. LGBTQ students are bullied twice as often as their heterosexual and cisgender peers and are less likely to report it. [19] [20]

• History and Physical

Bullying may be the chief complaint for an appointment in a clinical setting. However, many children do not disclose they are targets of bullying, and clinicians should be suspicious when the review of systems is positive for somatic complaints and nonspecific symptoms or warning signs appear in the social history. Bullied children can present with insomnia, nightmares, bedwetting, appetite changes, headaches, and stomachaches. When asked, they may endorse mood swings, feelings of helplessness, poor self-esteem, or suicidal thoughts. Children who are bullied may exhibit psychosomatic symptoms or have previously been diagnosed with anxiety or depression. [21] [22]  Social history clues include school absenteeism, declining grades, loss of friends, and lost or damaged belongings such as school books and clothing. 

Recognizing at-risk children early may avert long-term consequences. Identifying risk factors can help prevent bullying, and early detection is the first step in intervention. Clinicians who screen for bullying can support affected families and direct them to appropriate resources. They can utilize validated screening tools such as the HEADDS (Home, Education/employment, Activities, Drugs, Sexuality, Suicide/depression) assessment [23]  or the Bright Futures questionnaires from the American Academy of Pediatrics.[Hagen et al. Bright Futures. AAP] The Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Social Media Use Pediatric Checklist is available online from the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (www.MARCcenter.org) and is free for clinicians. Identifying victims can be tricky since many children do not readily disclose their involvement in bullying. Clinicians should, therefore, foster an inclusive and affirming healthcare environment where youth feel safe discussing their identities and experiences. [24]  This is especially important for LGBTQ patients who may not view their homes or schools as supportive.

About 70% of victims do not want to admit it to an adult, and indirect questioning during the medical history-taking may yield additional information. Inquiring about how school is going or if kids have friends to sit with at lunch may provide insight into how bullying might be a problem. [25]

Physical examination is usually unremarkable, but weight gain or loss alerts clinicians to possible appetite issues, and unexplained bruises or cuts may indicate physical altercations or self-inflicted injuries, necessitating further evaluation. 

Primary care clinicians are often asked to evaluate children for learning or behavior problems, including possible ADHD. An example is a teen boy who previously was a strong student, active in sports, and a musician in the school band who presents with declining grades. The teacher questions attention issues since he no longer completes his homework and says he "forgets to do it."  Further questioning reveals that a classmate has been confronting him daily after school, grabbing his backpack and dumping its contents. Therefore, he leaves his bag in his locker to avoid these unpleasant encounters and no longer finishes or turns in his assignments. He will not require an educational or psychiatric evaluation for ADHD once the clinician identifies that bullying is the underlying cause of his declining grades. 

Another example is a teen immigrant girl with weight loss whose mother is concerned she does not like American school lunches. However, a thorough history and physical examination reveal she has been feeling isolated, and she reports that kids tease her incessantly about her lack of English language skills. No one will sit with her at lunchtime, so she avoids the cafeteria. She admits to mood swings, and the physical examination is notable for self-inflicted cutting scars on her forearms. The clinician must elicit further information to determine if she is at risk of suicidal ideation or behavior before developing a management plan and arranging follow-up.

Bullying belongs to the spectrum of recurrent traumatic experiences of childhood, with similar physiologic, psychologic, social, and cognitive outcomes as child maltreatment or family violence.[Campbell, Kristin.  Bullying and Victimization . AAP] According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), trauma-informed care is medical care that recognizes the results of traumatic stress on children and their families. Clinicians are often the first professionals who interact with those affected by trauma and have the opportunity and obligation to respond sensitively. They can ensure a patient's safety and confidentiality, use respectful language, and support autonomy. [26]  A trauma-informed physical examination serves to establish trust and reduce feelings of vulnerability or potential triggers of prior traumatic events. [27] [28]  In the case of the teen with cutting scars, this may be the first occasion anyone has seen her skin lesions that are usually covered by her clothing. Performing the examination calmly and privately will foster confidence and encourage the girl to relate further relevant details about her unfortunate experiences.

When bullying is suspected or confirmed, the clinician should first speak with the child directly and privately to assess the severity of the problem. Because this may be the first time sharing such sensitive information, the clinician should create a safe space for the child to feel comfortable, using open-ended questions, active listening, and empathy, and ensuring confidentiality unless a situation mandates reporting to authorities. 

A simple approach is to ask these three questions:

• Are you being bullied?
• How often does this happen?
• How long has this been going on? [29]

Understanding the nature and extent of the episodes is essential for effective intervention. The clinician must differentiate between physical, verbal, social, and cyberbullying, as each requires a unique approach. Assessing the severity of the incidents helps prioritize support and resources and determine if a child's welfare is threatened and if reporting to child protective services is mandated. Clinicians should also inquire about other forms of victimization, such as child maltreatment and domestic violence, during the confidential interview. 

Further evaluation usually co-occurs with treatment and management, as presented in the next section. 

• Treatment / Management

How can clinicians manage bullying? When bullying is suspected or confirmed, they should gather additional information about the circumstances and context from the patient, caregivers, and teachers if indicated. Next, they must decide whether to provide anticipatory guidance, direct families to helpful resources, refer them to a mental health specialist, or contact the school or appropriate law enforcement authorities. [8]  In all cases, clinicians should first ensure the child's safety. Most cases of bullying are not emergencies, but at times, a child is in imminent danger, has been the victim of physical or sexual abuse, or has expressed thoughts of suicidal ideation. Clinicians must know when to elevate the level of care and facilitate transporting such children to the nearest emergency facility for evaluation. [8]

When clinicians treat victims of bullying in an outpatient setting, they must first ensure that children feel safe and realize that they are not at fault. Clinicians can teach them skills to use when confronted by bullies. Children should tell the bully to stop, then walk away and notify a trusted adult. They must inform another adult if they have already reported the circumstances and nothing was done. Clinicians can participate in brief role-playing activities with their patients and encourage parents and caregivers to rehearse successful, assertive behaviors at home with their children. Many parents do not know where to start when their child is a target of bullying and appreciate information from trusted clinicians about the signs and effects of bullying and how to convey their concerns to teachers and counselors. Caregivers can be directed to valuable resources such as stopbullying.org  and marccenter.org  and encouraged to promote youth activities that build self-esteem, such as sports and hobbies. Clinicians can advise parents and caregivers not to call the bully's parents or try to retaliate but allow the school to investigate. Parents may also benefit from training to discuss bullying and other issues with their children. [25] They must monitor children's online activity, discuss the possible consequences of their media use, and ask if they have experienced any problems online. Clinicians can recommend never forwarding or responding to hurtful messages and advise keeping evidence of inappropriate digital media, blocking cyberbullies, and always informing a trusted adult about inappropriate content. Clinicians can arrange counseling and mental health services when indicated and work with schools and other agencies as applicable to protect victims from further harm. 

Most structured bullying interventions occur in academic settings, and clinicians should know about local programs when caregivers and schools seek their expertise in addressing bullying. All states in the US require schools to develop anti-bullying policies and procedures, and similar initiatives exist in many other countries. [14]  Clinicians should understand their community's statutes and develop step-by-step strategies to investigate reports when necessary. [30]  School-based initiatives vary, but successful programs promote empathy for victims, strengthen coping and socialization skills, educate staff and families, and foster a schoolwide anti-bullying culture. [31]  Schools can empower bystanders to intervene when they witness bullying. In one study, 57% of episodes ceased within ten seconds when an onlooker spoke up, but they only did so 15-20% of the time. [32] .[Salmivalli, C. Bullying and the Peer Group . Aggression and Violent Behavior.] On the other hand, bystanders who actively support or encourage bullies can empower them to continue their aggressive behavior. Multidisciplinary interventions targeting peer groups rather than individuals involving families, schools, and communities may have the most impact. [33] [34]  Unfortunately, such multifaceted programs are costly, and the effects are difficult to measure. [35]  A meta-analysis of such school initiatives reported a mean decrease of approximately 20% in bullying rates, demonstrating room for improvement. [36]  

Outside their practices, clinicians can advocate locally, in their states, and nationally to support anti-bullying initiatives. They can work to improve community education and services and lobby to strengthen anti-bullying laws and evidence-based policies that prohibit bullying based on racial, ethnic, or sexual stereotypes.

Clinicians are also likely to care for the perpetrators of bullying. It is essential to denounce the behavior but not the child. Bullies themselves may well have been victims and need to tell their stories. Clinicians should listen without interrupting, remain nonconfrontational, and express concern for the victim. They can set boundaries for acceptable behavior, ask the patient to describe their actions, and suggest ways to improve. Effective clinicians communicate that bullying is always inappropriate and will not be tolerated, but also seek to appreciate the underlying causes or circumstances. They can recommend consistent disciplinary consequences, such as removing privileges or making reparations. They can connect with the child's school and advocate for penalties such as mandated community service rather than suspension or expulsion, which should be reserved for youth exhibiting severely disruptive or aggressive behavior. Overly harsh policies often ignore the underlying social and behavioral issues contributing to bullying and may lead students to abandon formal education early. Bullies should be assessed for psychosocial problems and offered mental health counseling if indicated. Some children may even cease bullying when they become aware of the hurt they have caused others and learn alternative coping methods for their feelings. 

• Differential Diagnosis

Clinicians can usually elicit a history of bullying if they take the time to ask relevant questions and listen carefully to the patient's responses. However, symptoms frequently associated with bullying may be nonspecific and result from other concerning circumstances, such as peer conflict, dating violence, family dysfunction, harassment, or hazing. [37]  These issues must be addressed and treated accordingly. When bullying is identified as the problem, clinicians should evaluate victims for mental health consequences, including posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, understanding that the presence of multiple coexisting issues may worsen the patient's physical and emotional health.  

In the medical model, prognosis predicts disease outcomes, such as recovery, recurrence, and death. Bullying, however, is not a disease, and the focus centers on consequences and complications rather than prognosis. In general use, however, the word prognosis forecasts a likely outcome. The medical and educational literature indicates that unless effective prevention and intervention measures are adopted, the prognosis for bullying is grim, and it will continue to take its toll on children and youth around the globe. 

• Complications

Bullying is associated with short and long-term adverse physical and mental health outcomes. [38] [39]  Even when adequately treated, some physical injuries may cause lingering disabilities. Victims often experience academic difficulties, such as worsening grades, absenteeism, and concentration problems. In recent years, unfavorable consequences have been increasingly recognized for both victims and bullies, including social isolation, anxiety, depression, suicidality, and illicit substance use. [40] [41]  These sequelae often continue into adulthood. Stigma-based bullying has been even more strongly associated with health problems than bullying in general. [24]

Victims of severe bullying may feel threatened and depressed and are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. As adults, they are more likely to carry weapons and have higher rates of suicide attempts and poor psychosocial adjustment. [42] [43]  In one study, victims of bullying in grade 5 used more tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol in grade 10. [44] The self-medication hypothesis suggests these substances are consumed to cope with painful emotions related to psychological trauma. [44]  Depression, anxiety, relationship problems, poor health, failing academic performance, suicidal ideation and attempts, and sleep problems have all been associated with being bullied. [45] [46]  Another study demonstrated homophobic name-calling by nonfriends was linked with increased psychological distress among LGBTQ students, and LGBTQ youth who commit suicide are nearly five times as likely to have been bullied compared with their non-LGBTQ peers who take their own lives. [47] [May 26, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0940]   LGBTQ bullying is also associated with increased rates of adolescent substance use, including tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drugs [48]  

Teens who have been physically threatened or in a fight are more likely to bring a weapon to school than other bullying victims or nonvictims. They are also more inclined to display violent behaviors at school, contributing to an unsafe academic environment.[Pham et al. Weapon Carrying Among Victims of Bullying . AAP]

Youth who bully often exhibit a negative attitude towards school and may leave before graduating, especially if they are punished by expulsion. Long-term associated consequences include criminal activities and arrests, intimate partner violence, delinquency, and antisocial behavior. [49] ]

Youth who are "bully victims" may experience even worse outcomes than their peers. They have been reported to have higher rates of child mental health issues, more thoughts of self-harm and suicidality, and increased substance use. [50] [51] [52]  Supportive adults at home and school may serve to buffer youth from the effects of bullying on future substance use. Still, controlled studies are lacking because it is difficult to separate bullying from other issues contributing to substance use, such as anxiety or other significant traumatic childhood events. 

• Consultations

Several school and community bullying prevention centers provide resources and specialized support to counter bullying. In addition, helplines for bullying and cyberbullying are available in many countries.

The following resources are confidential, free, and available 24/7:

Stop Bullying Now Hotline

• 1-800-273-8255 or www.stopbullying.gov 
• Established by the US Department of Health and Human Services
• Available to adults and children

The Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center 

www.MARCcenter.org Bullying And Cyberbullying Prevention and Advocacy Collaborative (BACPAC) at Children's Hospital Boston: www.childrenshospital.org/BACPAC

Childline 

• 0800 1111 (United Kingdom)
• Available to children under 18 years
• Offers advice and counseling to young people in distress or abusive situations

Kids Helpline

• 1-800-55-1800 (Australia)
• Provides advice to children, parents, and schools
• Deterrence and Patient Education

Bullying prevention programs, usually found in school systems, may deter bullying and its effects. Few randomized controlled trials evaluate their efficacy, and it is unlikely that one approach will work in every school or community.[Flnnery et al. Bullying and School Violence.  Pediatrics Clinics of North America ] Successful strategies include an academic culture that does not tolerate bullying, involves bystanders, encourages classroom discussions with role-playing, improves supervision in less-structured areas like playgrounds, and offers educational programs for parents and caregivers. Isolated curriculum interventions are less effective than multidisciplinary programs that allow teachers and all school ancillary staff to participate, including cafeteria workers, administrators, custodians, and bus drivers. [53]  Some schools use focus groups to guide program content and strategize to understand children's perspectives. [54]

Schools with gay-straight alliance clubs demonstrate increased well-being among LGBTQ students. An example of a statewide effort is the Massachusetts Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students, a joint initiative between the  Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. It includes classroom instruction, student activities, teacher proficiency workshops, and opportunities for policy development. [24] [55]  Clinicians can recommend that communities and schools use ideas from this and similar programs as models when developing their guidelines.

• Pearls and Other Issues

Bullying is not primarily a law enforcement issue, but all 50 states in the US have enacted school anti-bullying legislation or policies. Bullying may also appear in the criminal code related to other crimes, such as aggravated harassment or stalking, and may apply to juveniles, depending upon the locale. Clinicians should be informed about the laws in their communities, report incidents when legally required to do so, and continue to advocate for their young patients.

• Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes

How can the interprofessional team come together to prevent and intervene with bullying? Pediatricians and other primary care clinicians who care for children are the team leaders for identifying and treating youth affected by bullying. They are experts in advocating for their patients and working with medical specialists, nurses, mental health professionals, teachers, school administrators, parents, and other caregivers. 

The first step is to routinely screen youth for bullying exposure and identify subtle indicators when patients do not readily disclose they are victims. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends violence prevention counseling for school-age children and screening at well-child visits beginning at age 6. [56]  Clinicians and nurses identify and assess victims and perpetrators of bullying and counsel youth and their caregivers about practical actions. Next, clinicians decide when a referral to a mental health provider or social worker is indicated and arrange appropriate and timely follow-up after the initial consultation. [57]  

Clinicians and mental health specialists teach parents and caregivers communication skills and positive discipline strategies since it is known that children from supportive families are more resistant to bullying and less likely to become perpetrators. Family therapists work on reducing anger and improving interpersonal relationships in dysfunctional families since bullying is often only one symptom of maladjustment in the home.

Clinicians advocate for children at school and assist parents and caregivers in connecting with teachers and administrators. They advise schools on the mental and physical health consequences of bullying and serve as a resource when schools establish and promote policies and academic environments that condemn bullying. These programs teach children who are bystanders to intervene and potentially dissuade bullies, who may feel pressure to conform to the behavior of the majority. [58] [59] [57]  Schools that foster a culture of empathy and encourage students to report bullying may be more successful in reducing its prevalence and consequences. Teachers, administrators, and school nurses often are firsthand witnesses who communicate their concerns to primary care clinicians who assess children for physical and mental health sequelae. The interprofessional team supporting children's welfare includes child protection agencies and law enforcement officials. Clinicians engage with them to coordinate care when necessary to safeguard at-risk children.

In summary, identifying and addressing bullying takes an interprofessional team led by primary care clinicians, including medical, mental health, educational, law enforcement, and community specialists, who work together to achieve optimal health outcomes for youth experiencing this all-too-frequent public health problem.

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Disclosure: Muhammad Waseem declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Amanda Nickerson declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

This book is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ), which permits others to distribute the work, provided that the article is not altered or used commercially. You are not required to obtain permission to distribute this article, provided that you credit the author and journal.

• Cite this Page Waseem M, Nickerson AB. Identifying and Addressing Bullying. [Updated 2023 Dec 13]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-.

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Bullying Essay Writing Prompts & Examples for Students

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Bullying is a repeated, physical, social, or psychological behavior that refers to the misuse of power by a person or group towards another individual or people. It is unacceptable in the United States! However, the acts of bullying are typical for the educational institutions, especially high schools. The teachers assign corresponding essays and research papers hoping to prove the harmfulness of this phenomenon to the students. Do not confuse bullying essay and bully essay! We will explain the difference between these two, share some good topics, provide useful writing tips, and present free examples of such papers. There are times when students can do nothing about the homework. It does not mean they know nothing about the offered topic or have no talent - the lack of time is the most common reason. What our academic writing company offers is quality help with writing an essay available online 24/7. Do not miss your chance to improve your grade!  

What Is Bullying Essay?

One may ask, “ What is bullying essay? ” Okay, not all students know the definition of this word because some of them are lucky never to witness school bullying. A bullying essay is an academic paper on the humiliation, inequality, and unfair treatment of a person by another person or a group of people. It is a common phenomenon in the US schools. Bullying is one of the main reasons for the massive school murders. Because this activity may lead to the fatal, dramatic consequences, a bullying essay is one of the most popular assignments.

Working on Bullying Essay Outline

The primary thing to get ready with before writing a bully essay is the bullying essay outline. It is a must in any type of writing. An outline won’t let you get lost during the writing process. It looks like a detailed plan of action, and here is an example:

• The negative aspects & adverse consequences of bullying.
• The victims of bullying: common features they share, reasons to be involved in bullying, and mistakes the victims do.
• Conditions under which bullying takes place.
• The outcomes of bullying.
• Possible solutions against bullying: from the things students should do on their own to the involvement of parents and teachers.
• Conclusion Relate bullying as a story and rewrite the thesis statement from the introduction.

Preparing an Unforgettable Bullying Essay Introduction

In the bullying essay introduction, introduce the topic you are going to discuss. Define the term “bullying” using a dictionary and own words. Show the importance of discussing this issue by starting with an interesting fact or official statistics. The examples of the opening sentences are:

“Between 1 in 4 US students say they have been bullied at school.” “There is no general profile of a person involved in bullying. Young adolescents who bully can be either well-connected socially or marginalized.” 

The rationale for writing an interesting bullying essay introduction is to make it possible to let the reader appreciate the topic and understand its significance.

Tips on Writing a Bullying Essay Conclusion Paragraph

A bullying essay conclusion paragraph should leave the greatest impression on the reader and motivate them to contribute something to the war against bullying. A writer can start with the essay hook or rewritten thesis. Both versions are good to make the reader interested. A student has to develop a conclusion to guarantee a closure for the bullying essay that defines his or her final claim concerning the problem of bullying in schools or an entire community. It is time to stop the anti-social behaviour!

• Offer a final statement that talks about the abusive practices against the person or group of people.
• Provide learning insight to stress the important role of bullying in the life of modern kids. Show the importance of further research. Think about what makes a significant lesson for personal perception.
• Share feedback relevant to the implementation of governmental regulations created to stop the bullying.
• Come up with the recommendations about bullying to let others think about the most effective way of handling the problem.
• List the negative implications of bullying (victim’s physical & mental problems).

Post-Writing Steps

No matter whether you work on a short essay about bullying or a long one, the post-writing recommendations are the same. Do not ignore their importance!

• Look at the format and structure of the paper and fix it if needed.
• Proofread to detect & fix any grammar, spelling, or punctuation mistakes.
• Seek for the tutor’s feedback before revising.
• Apply grammar and plagiarism checking software to get rid of the errors.
• Let your peers or family members read the bullying essay to make sure it is polished.

20 Anti Bullying Essay Topics

An essay on bullying is not limited to defining the term. It has many options when it comes to choosing a specific topic. An essay on bullying may have several categories. One of the examples is cyber bullying essay - the threat of bullying with the help of social profiles and Internet, in general, is high.

• Reasons why teasing may end up bullying.
• Accepting people for who they are - preventing bullying.
• The ways to support people who were bullied in the past.
• The consequences of school bullying.
• Turning for help to the adults.
• Stopping the culture of bullying in the US schools.
• Ways to make students feel comfortable when talking about bullying.
• The problem of standing around and doing nothing to help the victim.
• How other kids may prevent their peers from bullying each other.
• Bullying in person vs. bullying in a group.
• What are the mental consequences of bullying?
• How can students prevent cyberbullying?
• Reasons why some people bully others.
• The way a bully feels once he or she put someone down.
• Family essay : The role of family members in the life of the bullied person.
• Risks for standing up for the one who is being bullied.
• New ways to increase the community’s awareness about bullying
• Describing the episode of bullying from your life.
• Things you would do if someone tried to bully you.
• Different types of bullying.

Each of these bullying essay titles is a good example of the ways to reduce bullying in schools essay. If you still lack ideas, rely on our Topic Generator for Essay . 

Read our free bullying essay examples. They will help to understand the goals of such paper better!

5 Awesome Bullying Essay Examples

Argumentative essay on bullying.

An argumentative essay on bullying is a challenge. A writer has to take one of the positions in the existing debate. Unlike in persuasive paper, there is no need to convince the target audience of your truth, and it makes the mission a bit easier. Here is an extract from such essay:

"Bullying is unacceptable, and many movements exist trying to stop this act of violence and inequality among teenagers. I will formulate an argument towards the problem at hand. Being a student of the high school, I see bullying among students of my age every day. That is why I will express my support in the fight against this phenomenon. Some things change for better thanks to the efforts of our parents and teachers, but the signs of bullying are present in most of the US education institutions. It is inhuman and has to end. Do you think the measures contemporary society takes are effective? I am a former victim of bullying: it happened several times when I was studying in the high school because of my family’s social status. The rest of the students came from wealthy families, and they believed there is no place for “burglars” like me. What they did to me was morally unacceptable. I think the government along with the legal bodies should make school bullying illegal and punish those who commit this crime according to the constitutional law. Such type of crime can have a long-term impact on everybody involved in the act. The experts define several types of this crime. Those are face-to-face like direct name calling; at a distance like spreading rumors; and cyberbullying. To me, the worst one is face-to-face even though experts name cyberbullying as the most dangerous one.”  

Persuasive Essay on Bullying

In a persuasive essay on bullying, a student has to explain his or her position towards the existing problem AND prove it to the reader. It requires more efforts than an argumentative paper. See the example below.

"School bullying is one of the basic issues in many educational institutions. Students may injure or even murder others. It happens in many regions of the world, but it looks like the United States suffer from this problem more than other countries. This type of crime is never acceptable. I have witnessed several acts of severe school bullying in my city, and I do not understand why teachers, parents, and government do nothing special to prevent such cases. Even if the act of bullying has nothing to do with physical injuries or rape, it may lead to the victim’s suicide. That is the purpose of the school bullies. I insist on forcing all shareholders in the education sector to cooperate to decide on the ways of handling and preventing this problem until it gets worse. The shareholders and working personnel are responsible for bullying. They should guarantee the safety of every student. One of the solutions I recommend implementing to fight against school bullying effectively is through special education explaining why this type of activity is to be discouraged and measures to take if bullying takes place on the eyes of other students. The students should understand the problem. Writing a persuasive essay on this topic might be a clue to the solution.”  

Cyber Bullying Cause and Effect Essay

A cyberbullying cause and effect essay should explain the reasons for bullying and the possible consequences. Most of the outcomes are dramatic and even fatal.

"Hitting someone makes a bully feel good. The strongest ones tend to express their significance through humiliating the weak. It is a natural instinct of many people. The primary reason to blame people who are weaker than you is the inferiority complex - the bully is a non-confident teen who feels better when making others look beneath himself or herself. The psychologists name one more reason. One of the main problems that lead to school bullying is the inability of parents to control their children. Those who come from wealthy families believe they will stay untouched. This feeling of permissiveness results in many different crimes and bullying is one of them. The major effect of the school bullying is the dramatic change in victim’s personality. Bullying can make initially happy and mentally healthy people self-conscious, shy, non-confident, or insane. Some of them end up in asylums. The results of bullying are obvious: the person becomes anti-social and keeps away from trying new things. The victims avoid speaking in public or participating in team games. In some situations, a bullying victim can start to have previously absent anxious signs.”  

5 Paragraph Essay About Bullying

Do you need an example of 5 paragraph essay about bullying? Find the solution below - discover more statistics & facts about bullying in the US schools.

"Bullying is one of the most common problems in the US schools. More than seven percent of kids in the 8th grade prefer staying at home once per month because of the school bullying (Banks, 1997). 15% of students are regularly bullied. Some of them are initiated into the bullying practice by the older students. The paper will talk about the definition of bullying, causes, effects, and the ways people can prevent this phenomenon. Bullying exists for ages. In most situations, it involves the School Bus Park, school hallways, and bathrooms, sometimes during recess (Banks, 1997). A bully never attacks alone. Such person prefers being surrounded by some type of minions that follow him/her everywhere. These people, minions, tend to have no personal opinion, and that makes them a treasure for the leader.”  

How to Prevent Bullying Essay

One of the most popular topics is how to prevent bullying essay. People should not close their eyes to the problems of teenagers ! Your essay may sound this way:

“A victor of bullying can do a lot to stop this phenomenon. It is necessary to take measures to protect yourself by evaluating personal strengths and weaknesses. This way, you will know how to resists the bullies. It is critical to develop and implement psychological, defensive tactics to keep away from getting in touch with the bullies. To stay away from bullying, one has to avoid any contacts with the bullies. A potential victim should not show anger in case of the attack - a good sense of humor may prevent the conflict. If bullying happens, the victim must report it immediately.”

So, writing a teenage bullying essay is useful. It helps to study one of the most serious school problems. Bullying essay should unite people in a battle against inequality and unfair treatment in educational institutions. What do you think? 

If you need to share your thoughts on a piece of paper and get the highest grade, contact our professional team of writers. We offer academic solutions for democratic prices!  

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Bullying is a distinctive pattern of repeatedly and deliberately harming and humiliating others, specifically those who are smaller, weaker, younger or in any way more vulnerable than the bully. The deliberate targeting of those of lesser power is what distinguishes bullying from garden-variety aggression .

Bullying can involve verbal attacks (name-calling and making fun of others) as well as physical ones, threats of harm, other forms of intimidation, and deliberate exclusion from activities. Studies indicate that bullying peaks around ages 11 to 13 and decreases as children grow older. Overt physical aggression such as kicking, hitting, and shoving is most common among younger children; relational aggression—damaging or manipulating the relationships of others, such as spreading rumors, and social exclusion—is more common as children mature.

Most bullying occurs in and around school and on playgrounds, although the internet lends itself to particularly distressing forms of bullying. Approximately 20 percent of students report being bullied at school, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Boys and girls are equally likely to be bullied.

• Why People Bully
• Who Bullies Target
• Why Bullying Is So Harmful
• Cyberbullying
• How to Handle a Bully

People bully because it can be an effective way of getting what they want, at least in the short term, and because they lack the social skills to do so without harming others. Bullying also is a way of establishing social dominance, although over time, as children’s behavioral repertoires generally broaden, it becomes an increasingly dysfunctional way.

Bullies are made, not born, and i t happens at an early age; if the normal aggression of 2-year-olds is not handled with consistency, children fail to acquire internal restraints against such behavior. Bullying remains a very durable behavioral style, largely because bullies get what they want—at least at first.

Research finds that bullies have a distinct psychological makeup . They lack prosocial behavior, are untroubled by anxiety , and do not understand others' feelings. They exhibit a distinctive cognitive feature, a kind of paranoia : They misread the intentions of others, often imputing hostility in neutral situations. Others may not like them, but they typically see themselves quite positively. Those who chronically bully tend to have strained relationships with parents and peers.

Girls are just as likely as boys to be bullies, but they are far less likely to engage in overt aggression. Instead, they tend to hurt others by damaging or manipulating their relationships . They may spread false rumors about someone, tell others to stop liking someone in order to get even with him or her, engage in social exclusion, threaten to withdraw friendship to get their way, or give someone the silent treatment.

Bullies couldn't exist without victims, and they don’t pick on just anyone. Research shows that those singled out for bullying lack assertiveness even in nonthreatening situations and radiate fear long before they ever encounter a bully. These are children who don’t stand up for themselves.

Up to about age 7, bullies pick on almost anyone. After that, they single out kids to prey on. engaging in a "shopping process" to determine which other children would make suitably submissive victims . Bullies like victims who become visibly upset when they are picked on and who do not have friends or allies. Researchers find that those chosen as victims evince insecurity and apprehension.

Studies of children show that victims easily acquiesce to bullies’ demands, handing over bikes, toys, and other playthings. They cry and assume a defensive posture; their highly visible displays of pain and suffering are rewarding to bullies and serve as an important signal of the bully’s dominance. Children who become victims offer no deterrent to aggression, which can make them disliked even by their non-bullying peers.

Bullying causes a great deal of misery to others, and its effects on victims can last for decades, perhaps even a lifetime. The pain of bullying may be felt most acutely around adolescence , a developmental stage where sensitivity to rejection heightens greatly. Victimization is a common source of school avoidance , leads to feelings of shame and self-worthlessness, and may lead to chronic depression and anxiety .

Bullying carries the implicit message that aggression and violence are acceptable solutions to problems when they are not. Cooperation and the peaceful resolution of differences support an increasingly interconnected world. Bullying not only harms its victims but it harms the perpetrators themselves. Most bullies have a downwardly spiraling course through life, as their aggressive behavior interferes with learning, holding a job, and establishing and maintaining intimate relationships.

Some bullies do leave the behavior behind. But many do not; aggression is a very stable social interaction style . Many who were bullies as children turn into antisocial adults, who are far more likely than nonaggressive kids to commit crimes, batter their wives, abuse their children—and produce another generation of bullies.

Bullies frequently carry out their aggression before an audience of peers, and the presence of an audience can boost a bully’s sense of power. But bystanders seldom stop the aggression ; they may in fact enjoy the spectacle. Even if they don’t approve of the situation, they may dislike the victim or fear retaliation by the bully.

Bullying causes a great deal of emotional harm to individuals, and being a victim of bullying is a major reason why many young people drop out of school. Bullying also harms society at large by creating a source of aggression and violence; those who bully are at increased risk of engaging in criminal behavior as adults.

As the social life of young people has moved onto the internet, so has bullying, with electronic bullying becoming a significant new problem in the past decade. Whereas bullying was once largely confined to school, the ubiquity of handheld devices affords bullies constant access to their prey. Cyber harassment can be especially disturbing because it can often be carried out anonymously; victims may have no idea who the perpetrators are.

The anonymity of cyberbullying removes many restraints on meanness and amplifies the ferocity of aggression . It’s easier to inflict pain and suffering on others when you don’t have to look them in the eye. Constantly evolving digital technologies enable new ways of spreading false information about targets.

Both direct harassment and relational aggression thrive on the internet. Cyberbullies can spread false rumors with viral speed on social media . They can falsely impersonate someone and conduct all manner of mischief in someone else’s name. Sexual harassment and cyberstalking particularly target women. And long after the active bullying has stopped, malicious information can linger on the internet and continue to harm.

Cyberbullying is particularly unsettling and extremely difficult to combat because victims often do not know who is behind it. Further there is no opportunity for bystanders to witness incidents and to potentially intervene. But perhaps most distressing of all, it can be inescapable and relentless, affording victims no safe haven.

The best defense against bullying is being socially skilled—teaching all children social skills and allowing them to develop confidence in their own abilities. As social engineers for young children, parents are especially important in bully-proofing their children: They can regularly inquire about social challenges their children face and role-play possible solutions. The second-best defense against bullying is to walk away and not fight back.

Studies show that the most effective way of stopping a bully is to activate bystanders; after all, bystanders reward bullies with attention . Since most children are witnesses to bullying at some point, teaching all children that they have an important role to play in stopping bullying is essential. A bully may make an effort to retaliate against one person who speaks up but is not likely to target several.

During the past decade or so, schools have widely adopted anti-bullying programs. The report card on their effectiveness , however, is mixed. Experts explain that schools are where most bullying takes place but they are not where attitudes about power and aggression, skills of emotion regulation , or social skills—the key influences on bullying—are learned.

Children are deeply ashamed of being bullied and may not let anyone know when they are being victimized. Therefore parents have an obligation to know something about their children’s general competence with peers and how peers treat them—by asking teachers during school conferences and by gently asking their children about their social life. Teaching children to fight back is not effective; helping them gain social skills is.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Bullying — Bullying: Definition, Types and Its Resolution

Bullying: Definition, Types and Its Resolution

• Categories: Bullying Youth Violence

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Published: Jul 17, 2018

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Types of Bullying

• Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things.
• Verbal bullying includes: Teasing Name-calling Inappropriate sexual comments Taunting Threatening to cause harm

Brief History of Bullying

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Bullying: Everything You Need to Know

• Why It Happens

Frequently Asked Questions

Bullying is any unwanted or aggressive behavior from someone who is intentionally trying to upset, harm, or have power over you. Bullying occurs among children, adolescents, and teens, either in person, online, or through social media. Adults can also be bullied, both in social groups and in the workplace.

Read on to learn more about the main types of bullying, signs someone is being bullied, and how to deal with a bully.

Skynesher / Getty Images

6 Types of Bullying

In the United States in 2019, 1 out of 5 children ages 12–18 reported being bullied at school. Bullying included being:

• Made fun of or called names
• Pressured into doing things
• Excluded from activities
• Pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on
• The subject of rumors

There are six main types of bullying, as discussed below.

Verbal Bullying

Verbal bullying is when someone is saying or writing harmful things or making threats. It includes:

• Name-calling
• Threatening to cause harm
• Making inappropriate comments

Social Bullying

Social bullying is also called relational bullying, relational aggression, or emotional bullying. It involves threatening someone's reputation or relationships.

Social bullying can include:

• Excluding someone on purpose
• Spreading rumors and gossip about someone
• Shunning, or telling others not to interact or be friends with someone
• Publicly embarrassing someone

Physical Bullying

Physical bullying includes bodily harm or damage to possessions. Any form of aggressive physical contact constitutes physical bullying.

This type of bullying can include:

• Hitting, kicking, or spitting on someone
• Tripping or pushing someone
• Taking or breaking someone’s things
• Making mean or inappropriate gestures

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying involves bullying or harassing someone online or through social media. This harassment can occur on a computer, telephone, cell, or text messaging device.

Cyberbullying can include:

• Sending mean texts
• Posting insults about someone on social media
• Making rude comments about someone's posts
• Posting or sending personal information about someone to others in order to hurt or embarrass that person
• Threatening someone or bullying them through online chats or groups

In a 2018 survey, 59% of U.S. teens reported being cyberbullied.

Racist Bullying

Racist or racial bullying can include all other types of bullying, even physical attacks. It includes:

• Belittling, mocking, or intimidating someone because of their race
• Devaluing someone's racial background
• Discrediting someone's religious or cultural practices
• Insulting or shaming a person's speech, the way they dress, or their customs

Sexual Bullying

Sexual bullying includes any unwanted sexual physical contact, inappropriate comments, or online harassment. It includes:

• Sending or posting sexually explicit photos, messages, or videos
• Making inappropriate sexual comments, jokes, or hand gestures
• Spreading sexual rumors
• Groping, grabbing, or touching in a sexual manner
• Pressuring someone for sex or sexually explicit photos

Help Is Available for Bullying

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or self-harm because of bullying, you can contact the  National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  at  988  for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If they are in immediate danger, call 911 .

Signs of Bullying

Bullying occurs intentionally out of the sight of adults. When there are warning signs, they usually involve behavioral and emotional changes.

Signs someone you know is being bullied include:

• They have physical signs like cuts, bruises, or scratches that are not easily explained.
• They try to get out of going to school.
• They suddenly start doing poorly in school.
• They come home moody, sad, teary, depressed, or overly fatigued.
• They have a loss of appetite or develop an eating disorder.
• They appear more stressed or anxious than usual.
• Their belongings come home torn or damaged, or they are missing altogether.
• They experience headaches , nausea , stomach aches , or other physical symptoms.
• They have nightmares , sleep disorders , insomnia , or trouble sleeping.

If You Think Your Child Is Being Bullied

If you think your child is being bullied, it's important to talk to them. They may not ask for help out of fear that it will make things worse. Instead of putting them on the spot, start a general conversation to lead into the topic. Let them know you want to help them. Some suggestions include:

• “There's been a lot of discussion about bullying on the news. Do you know if that happens at your school?"
• “Is there anyone at school you don't like to be around?"
• "Are there any kids at school who are mean to you or other kids?"

Why Do People Bully?

One study indicates that bullies tend to be bullied by their own family, so they may observe and mimic aggressive or angry behavior.

Other reasons may include that they are:

• Lashing out for attention due to lack of attention at home or elsewhere
• Being bullied by their older siblings or adults in their lives (parent, teacher, coach, etc.)
• Elevating their own social status among their peers
• Trying to fit in with others who are bullying
• Insecure, feeling incompetent, or experiencing poor self-esteem

Bullies may feel emotional relief from their own insecurity by dominating others.

Bullies often blame others and don't accept the consequences of their actions.

How to Deal With a Bully

Bullies gain power and control by getting a reaction out of others. They get this reaction by aggravating, frightening, angering, or threatening others.

Some ways to deal with a bully include:

• Get help : Seek help if you're being bullied. This is especially important if it is escalating toward physical threats or actual assaults.
• Respond, don't react : You may feel upset on the inside, but if you can respond calmly instead of reacting emotionally, you maintain control of your emotions. Getting a reaction out of other people is how bullies try to gain power and control.
• Walk away : If safe to do so, walk away from the situation.
• Take a screenshot : If you are cyberbullied, take a screenshot as evidence.
• Strength in numbers : Effective bullying intervention programs assign students into roles of peer supporters, peer mediators, and peer educators.

When You Are the Bully

If you think you may be a bully—or others have accused you of being a bully—consider these questions:

• Have you repeatedly called other people names?
• Have you used your size or tone of voice to intimidate or threaten others?
• Have you made fun of others or said mean things to people about their weight or appearance?
• Have you spread rumors, posted comments, or shared something negative about someone on social media?

If you are mistreating others, you may have been mistreated yourself. It may be helpful to talk to a school counselor, trusted adult, or mental health professional.

The Effects of Bullying

Adults bullied as children are likely to have mental health conditions, including depression , anxiety disorder , and antisocial personality disorder .

Bullying affects bullies negatively as well. In one study, men who bullied and men who were bullied had increased risks of suicide .

Other effects in children and teenagers may include:

• Low self-esteem
• Loss of interest in social activities
• Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
• Development of eating disorders
• Loss of interest in school
• Difficulty focusing on learning
• Poor school attendance
• Lower testing scores and lower grades
• Higher dropout rates

Bullying is any unwanted and aggressive behavior that is intentionally done to hurt another person. It often occurs among children, adolescents, and teens, but it can happen to adults as well. Bullying creates a power imbalance, and it usually occurs repeatedly.

Types of bullying include physical, verbal, social, cyber, racist, and sexual. People who have been bullied may experience effects like depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

A Word From Verywell 

Being bullied can make you feel helpless, anxious, and depressed. Support is available to help you address any bullying you are facing. To find resources in your area, contact the  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline  at  1-800-662-4357  for information.

Studies show bullies often do have depression. Researchers wonder if the bullying behavior is a way of acting out the depression.

In the United States in 2019, 22% of students ages 12–18 experienced bullying. In another study from 2019, 19.5% of students in grades 9–12 indicated they were bullied at school.

A few ways to handle a bully include:

• Try to avoid the bully, and walk or run away from them if it's safe to do so.
• Alert nearby people or an authority figure.
• Try to remain calm.

U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics. Bullying .

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Stop Bullying Initiative. What is bullying? .

U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics. Student reports of bullying: results from the 2017 school crime supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey .

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Stop Bullying Initiative. What is cyberbullying? .

Pew Research Center.  A majority of teens have experienced some form of cyberbullying .

Nemours Foundation.  Sexual harassment and sexual bullying .

Stomp Out Bullying Organization. Signs your child is being bullied .

Copeland WE, Wolke D, Angold A, Costello EJ. Adult psychiatric outcomes of bullying and being bullied by peers in childhood and adolescence. JAMA Psychiatry . 2013:70(4):419. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.504

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Stop Bullying Initiative. Why some youth bully .

Stomp Out Bullying Organization. Why do kids bully? .

Stomp Out Bullying Organization. Are you being bullied? How to deal with bullies .

Menesini, E., Salmivalli, C. Bullying in schools: the state of knowledge and effective interventions . Psychology, Health & Medicine.  2017;22(sup1):240-253. doi:10.1080/13548506.2017.1279740

Jormanainen E, Fröjd S, Marttunen M, Kaltiala-Heino R. Is pubertal timing associated with involvement in bullying in middle adolescence? .  Health Psychol Behav Med . 2014;2(1):144-159. doi:10.1080/21642850.2014.881259

By Michelle C. Brooten-Brooks, LMFT Brooten-Brooks is a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Georgia. She has been covering health and medical topics as a journalist for over 20 years.

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Effects of Bullying

Bullying can affect everyone—those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide. It is important to talk to kids to determine whether bullying—or something else—is a concern.

Kids Who are Bullied

Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, social, emotional, academic, and mental health issues. Kids who are bullied are more likely to experience:

• Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood.
• Health complaints
• Decreased academic achievement—GPA and standardized test scores—and school participation. They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.

A very small number of bullied children might retaliate through extremely violent measures. In 12 of 15 school shooting cases in the 1990s, the shooters had a history of being bullied.

Kids Who Bully Others

Kids who bully others can also engage in violent and other risky behaviors into adulthood. Kids who bully are more likely to:

• Abuse alcohol and other drugs in adolescence and as adults
• Get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school
• Engage in early sexual activity
• Have criminal convictions and traffic citations as adults 
• Be abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses, or children as adults

Kids who witness bullying are more likely to:

• Have increased use of tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs
• Have increased mental health problems, including depression and anxiety
• Miss or skip school

The Relationship between Bullying and Suicide

Media reports often link bullying with suicide. However, most youth who are bullied do not have thoughts of suicide or engage in suicidal behaviors. 

Although kids who are bullied are at risk of suicide, bullying alone is not the cause. Many issues contribute to suicide risk, including depression, problems at home, and trauma history. Additionally, specific groups have an increased risk of suicide, including American Indian and Alaskan Native, Asian American, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. This risk can be increased further when these kids are not supported by parents, peers, and schools. Bullying can make an unsupportive situation worse.

Bullying Definition Essay

Show More What is bullying? What are the different types of bullying? Who are the victims of bullying? What are some effects of bullying? Will bullying effect the youth going into adulthood? Bullying is a huge topic that we face here in America. Bullying victimization is happening to a numerous number of people over the country from adolescents to adults. They encounter bullying in some type of way. Whether they are the aggressor, the victim, or a bystander, it affects who they are and who they will become as they get older. Definition of Bullying Bullying is any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths…that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be …show more content… Direct bullying is aggressive behavior that takes place with the directed youth being there. Examples would be face-to-face interactions, directing harmful written or verbal communications. Indirect bullying is aggressive actions that happen to youth indirectly such as rumors or influencing other to reject the youth. Someone can get bullied directly, indirectly, or both at the same time. There are four types of bullying which are: physical, verbal, relational, and cyber. Examples of physical bullying include: kicking, punching, spitting, pushing, tripping, and hitting. Examples of verbal bullying include: name-calling, notes, threatening words, sexual remarks, taunting, and gestures. Relational bullying is deliberately aimed to damage the youth’s reputation and/or relationship. Examples would include: spreading rumors, posting humiliating pictures, and social seclusion. Cyber bullying uses electronic technology and tools. Examples of cyber bullying include: embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and fake profiles. It’s harder to escape from cyber bullying. Once something is published on the internet it’s always there. That has a dramatic effect on the victim and in some cases resulted in suicide. That is what happened to Phoebe Prince, who was 15 years old, attended South Hadley High School in South Hadley, MA was bullied by her peers. She was bullied directly, indirectly, physically, verbally, relationally, and cyber. As a result, on January 14, 2010 after school, Phoebe Prince took her own life and hanged

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Bullying In America

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Adult Bullying And Stereotypes

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How Bullying Manifests at Work — and How to Stop It

• Ludmila N. Praslova,
• Ron Carucci,
• Caroline Stokes

It’s a systemic problem that requires systemic solutions.

The term workplace bullying describes a wide range of behaviors, and this complexity makes addressing it difficult and often ineffective. For example, most anti-bullying advice, from “anger management” to zero-tolerance policies, deals with more overt forms of bullying. Covert bullying, such as withholding information or gaslighting, is rarely considered or addressed. In this piece, the authors discuss the different types of bullying, the myths that prevent leaders from addressing it, and how organizations can effectively intervene and create a safer workplace.

While the organizational costs of incivility and toxicity are well documented, bullying at work is still a problem. An estimated 48.6 million Americans, or about 30% of the workforce, are bullied at work. In India, that percentage is reported to be as high as 46% or even 55% . In Germany, it’s a lower but non-negligible 17% . Yet bullying often receives little attention or effective action.

• Ludmila N. Praslova , PhD, SHRM-SCP, uses her extensive experience with neurodiversity and global and cultural inclusion to help create talent-rich workplaces. The author of The Canary Code , she is a professor of graduate industrial-organizational psychology and the accreditation liaison officer at Vanguard University of Southern California. Follow Ludmila on LinkedIn .
• Ron Carucci is co-founder and managing partner at  Navalent , working with CEOs and executives pursuing transformational change. He is the bestselling author of eight books, including To Be Honest and Rising to Power . Connect with him on Linked In at  RonCarucci , and download his free “How Honest is My Team?” assessment.
• CS Caroline Stokes is a stakeholder capital business sustainability coach and strategist, and CEO of FORWARD , working with leaders and teams in AI, cybersecurity, and digital entertainment.

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Cyberbullying: what is it and how to stop it, what teens want to know about cyberbullying..

• Available in:

We brought together UNICEF specialists, international cyberbullying and child protection experts, and teamed up with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and X to answer some of the most common questions about online bullying and give advice on ways to deal with it. 

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital technologies. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones. It is repeated behaviour, aimed at scaring, angering or shaming those who are targeted. Examples include:

• spreading lies about or posting embarrassing photos or videos of someone on social media
• sending hurtful, abusive or threatening messages, images or videos via messaging platforms
• impersonating someone and sending mean messages to others on their behalf or through fake accounts.

Face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying can often happen alongside each other. But cyberbullying leaves a digital footprint – a record that can prove useful and provide evidence to help stop the abuse.

If you are worried about your safety or something that has happened to you online, you can seek help by calling your national helpline . If your country does not have a helpline, please urgently speak to an adult you trust or seek professional support from trained and experienced carers.

The top questions on cyberbullying

• Am I being bullied online? How do you tell the difference between a joke and bullying?
• What are the effects of cyberbullying?
• How can cyberbullying affect my mental health?
• Who should I talk to if someone is bullying me online? Why is reporting important?
• I’m experiencing cyberbullying, but I’m afraid to talk to my parents about it. How can I approach them?
• How can I help my friends report a case of cyberbullying especially if they don’t want to do it?
• How do we stop cyberbullying without giving up access to the internet?
• How do I prevent my personal information from being used to manipulate or humiliate me on social media?
• Is there a punishment for cyberbullying?
• Technology companies don’t seem to care about online bullying and harassment. Are they being held responsible?
• Are there any online anti-bullying tools for children or young people?

1. Am I being bullied online? How do you tell the difference between a joke and bullying?

Unicef: .

All friends joke around with each other, but sometimes it’s hard to tell if someone is just having fun or trying to hurt you, especially online. Sometimes they’ll laugh it off with a “just kidding,” or “don’t take it so seriously.” 

But if you feel hurt or think others are laughing at you instead of with you, then the joke has gone too far. If it continues even after you’ve asked the person to stop and you are still feeling upset about it, then this could be bullying.

And when the bullying takes place online, it can result in unwanted attention from a wide range of people including strangers. Wherever it may happen, if you are not happy about it, you should not have to stand for it.

Call it what you will – if you feel bad and it doesn’t stop, then it’s worth getting help. Stopping cyberbullying is not just about calling out bullies, it’s also about recognizing that everyone deserves respect – online and in real life.

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2. What are the effects of cyberbullying?

When bullying happens online it can feel as if you’re being attacked everywhere, even inside your own home. It can seem like there’s no escape. The effects can last a long time and affect a person in many ways:

• Mentally – feeling upset, embarrassed, stupid, even afraid or angry 
• Emotionally – feeling ashamed or losing interest in the things you love
• Physically – tired (loss of sleep), or experiencing symptoms like stomach aches and headaches 

The feeling of being laughed at or harassed by others, can prevent people from speaking up or trying to deal with the problem. In extreme cases, cyberbullying can even lead to people taking their own lives. 

Cyberbullying can affect us in many ways. But these can be overcome and people can regain their confidence and health.

3. How can cyberbullying affect my mental health?

When you experience cyberbullying you might start to feel ashamed, nervous, anxious and insecure about what people say or think about you. This can lead to withdrawing from friends and family, negative thoughts and self-talk, feeling guilty about things you did or did not do, or feeling that you are being judged negatively. Feeling lonely, overwhelmed, frequent headaches, nausea or stomachaches are also common.

You can lose your motivation to do the things that you usually enjoy doing and feel isolated from the people you love and trust. This can perpetuate negative feelings and thoughts which can adversely affect your mental health and well-being.

Skipping school is another common effect of cyberbullying and can affect the mental health of young people who turn to substances like alcohol and drugs or violent behaviour to deal with their psychological and physical pain. Talking to a friend, family member or school counsellor you trust can be a first step to getting help.

The effects of cyberbullying on mental health can vary depending on the medium through which it happens. For example, bullying via text messaging or through pictures or videos on social media platforms has proven to be very harmful for adolescents.   

Cyberbullying opens the door to 24-hour harassment and can be very damaging. That’s why we offer in-app mental health and well-being support through our feature “ Here For You .” This Snapchat portal provides resources on mental health, grief, bullying, harassment, anxiety, eating disorders, depression, stress, and suicidal thoughts. It was developed in partnership with leading international advocacy and mental health organizations to help Snapchatters contend with some very real issues. Still, our foundational piece of guidance for any well-being issue is to talk to someone: a friend, parent, caregiver, trusted adult – anyone whom you trust to listen.

At Snap, nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our community.  Reach out and tell us how we might be able to help.    

Cyberbullying has the potential of having a negative impact on people's mental health. It's why it's so important that you reach out to someone you trust – whether it's a parent, teacher, friend or caregiver – and let them know what you're going through so that they can help you.

The well-being of our community matters hugely to us, and we recognise that cyberbullying can have an adverse impact on people's mental health. As well as taking strong action against content or behaviour that seeks to shame, bully or harass members of our community, we have partnered with experts to develop our well-being guide to help people learn more about improving their well-being, and keep TikTok a safe and inclusive home for our community.

4. Who should I talk to if someone is bullying me online? Why is reporting important?

If you think you’re being bullied, the first step is to seek help from someone you trust such as your parents, a close family member or another trusted adult.

In your school you can reach out to a counsellor, the sports coach or your favourite teacher – either online or in person.

And if you are not comfortable talking to someone you know, search for a helpline in your country to talk to a professional counsellor.

If the bullying is happening on a social platform, consider blocking the bully and formally reporting their behaviour on the platform itself. Social media companies are obligated to keep their users safe.

For bullying to stop, it needs to be identified and reporting it is key.

It can be helpful to collect evidence – text messages and screen shots of social media posts – to show what’s been going on.

For bullying to stop, it needs to be identified and reporting it is key. It can also help to show the bully that their behaviour is unacceptable.

If you are in immediate danger, then you should contact the police or emergency services in your country.

Facebook/Instagram

At Meta, we take bullying and harassment situations seriously. Bullying and harassment is a unique challenge and one of the most complex issues to address because context is critical. We work hard to enforce against this content while also equipping our community with tools to protect themselves in ways that work best for them.

If you're experiencing bullying online, we encourage you to talk to a parent, teacher or someone else you can trust – you have a right to be safe and supported.

We also make it easy to report bullying directly within Facebook or Instagram. You can send our team a report from a post, comment, story or direct message (DM). Your report is anonymous; the account you reported won’t see who reported them. We have a team who reviews these reports 24/7 around the world in 70+ languages and we will remove anything that violates our policies.

Meta’s Family Center offers resources, insights and expert guidance to help parents, guardians and trusted adults support their teen’s online experiences across our technologies. Additionally, the Meta Safety Center provides bullying prevention resources that can help teens seeking support for issues related to bullying like what to do if you or a friend is being bullied or if you've been called a bully. For educators , we have expert-backed tips on how to proactively handle and work to implement bullying prevention strategies

Bullying is something no one should have to experience, either in person or online. 

Snapchat’s Community Guidelines clearly and explicitly prohibit bullying, intimidation, and harassment of any kind. We don’t want it on the platform; it’s not in keeping with why Snapchat was created and designed. Learn more here .

Letting us know when you experience or witness someone breaking our rules allows us to take action, which helps to protect you and other members of our community. In addition to reporting violating content or behaviour to Snapchat, speak with a friend, parent, caregiver, or other trusted adult. Our goal is for everyone to stay safe and have fun!

Everyone has the right to feel safe and to be treated with respect and dignity. Bullying and harassment are incompatible with the inclusive environment we aim to foster on TikTok. 

If you ever feel someone is bullying you or otherwise being inappropriate, reach out to someone you trust - for example, a parent, a teacher or a caregiver – who can provide support.

We deploy both technology and thousands of safety professionals to help keep bullying off TikTok. We also encourage our community members to make use of the easy in-app reporting tools to alert us if they or someone they know has experienced bullying. You can report videos, comments, accounts and direct messages so that we can take appropriate action and help keep you safe. Reports are always confidential. 

You can find out more in our Bullying Prevention guide for teens, caregivers, and educators on how to identify and prevent bullying, and provide support.

Being the target of bullying online is not easy to deal with. If you are being cyberbullied, the most important thing to do is to ensure you are safe. It’s essential to have someone to talk to about what you are going through. This may be a teacher, another trusted adult, or a parent. Talk to your parents and friends about what to do if you or a friend are being cyberbullied.

We encourage people to report accounts to us that may break our  rules . You can do this on our  Help Center  or through the in-post reporting mechanism by clicking on the “Report a post” option.

Last updated: January 2022.

5. I’m experiencing cyberbullying, but I’m afraid to talk to my parents about it. How can I approach them?

If you are experiencing cyberbullying, speaking to a trusted adult – someone you feel safe talking to – is one of the most important first steps you can take.

Talking to parents isn’t easy for everyone. But there are things you can do to help the conversation. Choose a time to talk when you know you have their full attention. Explain how serious the problem is for you. Remember, they might not be as familiar with technology as you are, so you might need to help them to understand what’s happening.

They might not have instant answers for you, but they are likely to want to help and together you can find a solution. Two heads are always better than one! If you are still unsure about what to do, consider reaching out to other trusted people . There are often more people who care about you and are willing to help than you might think!

6. How can I help my friends report a case of cyberbullying especially if they don’t want to do it?

Anyone can become a victim of cyberbullying. If you see this happening to someone you know, try to offer support.

It is important to listen to your friend. Why don’t they want to report being cyberbullied? How are they feeling? Let them know that they don’t have to formally report anything, but it’s crucial to talk to someone who might be able to help.

Anyone can become a victim of cyberbullying.

Remember, your friend may be feeling fragile. Be kind to them. Help them think through what they might say and to whom. Offer to go with them if they decide to report. Most importantly, remind them that you’re there for them and you want to help.

If your friend still does not want to report the incident, then support them in finding a trusted adult who can help them deal with the situation. Remember that in certain situations the consequences of cyberbullying can be life threatening.

Doing nothing can leave the person feeling that everyone is against them or that nobody cares. Your words can make a difference.

We know that it can be hard to report bullying, but everyone deserves to feel safe online. If your friend is experiencing cyberbullying, encourage them to talk to a parent, a teacher or an adult they trust.

Reporting content or accounts to Facebook or Instagram is anonymous and can help us better keep our platforms safe. Bullying and harassment are highly personal by nature, so in many instances, we need a person to report this behaviour to us before we can identify or remove it. You can report something you experience yourself, but it’s also just as easy to submit a report for one of your friends. You can find more information on how to report something on our How to Report Bullying section  at the Meta Safety Center.

You and your friends may be reluctant to report to a technology platform for any number of reasons, but it’s important to know that reporting on Snapchat is confidential and easy. And remember: You can report Snaps (photos and videos), Chats (messages) and accounts – about your own experiences or on behalf of someone else. 

In the more public places of Snapchat, like Stories and Spotlight, simply press and hold on the piece of content and a card with “Report Tile” (as one option) will appear in red. Click that link and our reporting menu will appear. Bullying and harassment are among the first categories in the reporting list. Just follow the prompts and provide as much information as you can about the incident. We appreciate you doing your part to help us protect the Snapchat community!  

If you believe another member of the TikTok community is being bullied or harassed, there are ways you can provide support. For example, you can make a confidential report on TikTok so that we take appropriate action and help keep your friend safe. 

If you know the person, consider checking in with them and encourage them to read our Bullying Prevention guide so they can find out more information about how to identify bullying behaviour and take action.

If your friends are experiencing cyberbullying, encourage them to talk to a parent, a teacher or an adult they trust.

If a friend of yours does not want to report their experience, you can submit a bystander report  on their behalf. This can include reports of private information , non -consensual nudity  or impersonation.

7. How do we stop cyberbullying without giving up access to the Internet?

Being online has so many benefits. However, like many things in life, it comes with risks that you need to protect against.

If you experience cyberbullying, you may want to delete certain apps or stay offline for a while to give yourself time to recover. But getting off the Internet is not a long-term solution. You did nothing wrong, so why should you be disadvantaged? It may even send the bullies the wrong signal — encouraging their unacceptable behaviour. 

We need to be thoughtful about what we share or say that may hurt others.

We all want cyberbullying to stop, which is one of the reasons reporting cyberbullying is so important. But creating the Internet we want goes beyond calling out bullying. We need to be thoughtful about what we share or say that may hurt others. We need to be kind to one another online and in real life. It's up to all of us!

We’re continuously developing new technologies  to encourage positive interactions and take action on harmful content, and launching new tools to help people have more control over their experience. Here are some tools you can use:

• Comment warnings: When someone writes a caption or a comment that our AI detects as potentially offensive or intended to harass, we will show them an alert that asks them to pause and reflect on whether they would like to edit their language before it’s posted.
• Comment and message controls: Comments with common offensive words, phrases or emojis, and abusive messages or messages from strangers can be automatically hidden or filtered out with the ‘ Hidden words ’ setting, which is defaulted on for all people. If you want an even more personalized experience, you can create a custom list of emojis, words or phrases you don’t want to see, and comments containing these terms won’t appear under your posts and messages will be sent to a filtered inbox. All Instagram accounts have the option to switch off DMs from people they don’t follow. Messenger also gives you the option to ignore a conversation and automatically move it out of your inbox, without having to block the sender.
• Block and Mute: You can always  block  or  mute  an account that is bullying you, and that account will not be notified. When you block someone on Instagram, you’ll also have the option to block other accounts they may have or create, making it more difficult for them to interact with you.
• Restrict: With ‘Restrict,’ you can protect your account from unwanted interactions in a quieter, or more subtle way. Once Restrict is enabled, comments on your posts from a person you have restricted will only be visible to that person. You can choose to view the comment by tapping “See Comment”; approve the comment so everyone can see it; delete it; or ignore it. You won’t receive any notifications for comments from a restricted account.
• Limits:  You can automatically hide comments and DM requests from people who don’t follow you, or who only recently followed you. If you’re going through an influx of unwanted comments or messages — or think you may be about to — you can turn on Limits and avoid it.

Our priority is to foster a welcoming and safe environment where people feel free to express themselves authentically. Our Community Guidelines make clear that we do not tolerate members of our community being shamed, bullied or harassed. 

We use a combination of technology and moderation teams to help us identify and remove abusive content or behaviour from our platform. 

We also provide our community with an extensive range of tools to help them better control their experience – whether it's control over exactly who can view and interact with your content or filtering tools to help you stay in control of comments. You can find out about them on our Safety Centre . 

Since hundreds of millions of people share ideas on X every day, it’s no surprise that we don’t all agree with each other all the time. That’s one of the benefits of a public conversation in that we can all learn from respectful disagreements and discussions.

But sometimes, after you’ve listened to someone for a while, you may not want to hear them anymore. Their right to express themselves doesn’t mean you’re required to listen. If you see or receive a reply you don’t like, unfollow  and end any communication with that account. If the behaviour continues, it is recommended that you block the account . If you continue receiving unwanted, targeted and continuous replies on X, consider reporting the behaviour to X here .

We are also working proactively to protect people using our service through a combination of human review and technology. Learn more about how to feel safer on X here .

8. How do I prevent my personal information from being used to manipulate or humiliate me on social media?

Think twice before posting or sharing anything on digital platforms – it may be online forever and could be used to harm you later. Don’t give out personal details such as your address, telephone number or the name of your school.

Learn about the privacy settings of your favourite social media apps. Here are some actions you can take on many of them: 

• You can decide who can see your profile, send you direct messages or comment on your posts by adjusting your account privacy settings. 
• You can report hurtful comments, messages, photos and videos and request they be removed.
• Besides ‘unfriending’, you can completely block people to stop them from seeing your profile or contacting you.
• You can also choose to have comments by certain people to appear only to them without completely blocking them.
• You can delete posts on your profile or hide them from specific people. 

On most of your favourite social media, people aren't notified when you block, restrict or report them.

9. Is there a punishment for cyberbullying?

Most schools take bullying seriously and will take action against it. If you are being cyberbullied by other students, report it to your school.

People who are victims of any form of violence, including bullying and cyberbullying, have a right to justice and to have the offender held accountable.

Laws against bullying, particularly on cyberbullying, are relatively new and still do not exist everywhere. This is why many countries rely on other relevant laws, such as ones against harassment, to punish cyberbullies.

In countries that have specific laws on cyberbullying, online behaviour that deliberately causes serious emotional distress is seen as criminal activity. In some of these countries, victims of cyberbullying can seek protection, prohibit communication from a specified person and restrict the use of electronic devices used by that person for cyberbullying, temporarily or permanently.

However, it is important to remember that punishment is not always the most effective way to change the behaviour of bullies. Sometimes, focusing on repairing the harm and mending the relationship can be better.

On Facebook, we have a set of  Community Standards , and on Instagram, we have  Community Guidelines . We take action when we are aware of content that violates these policies, like in the case of bullying or harassment, and we are constantly improving our detection tools so we can find this content faster.

Bullying and harassment can happen in many places and come in many different forms from making threats and releasing personally identifiable information to sending threatening messages and making unwanted malicious contact. We do not tolerate this kind of behavior because it prevents people from feeling safe and respected on our apps.

Making sure people don’t see hateful or harassing content in direct messages can be challenging, given they’re private conversations, but we are taking steps to take tougher action when we become aware of people breaking our rules. If someone continues to send violating messages, we will disable their account. We’ll also disable new accounts created to get around our messaging restrictions and will continue to disable accounts we find that are created purely to send harmful messages.

On Snapchat, reports of cyberbullying are reviewed by Snap’s dedicated Trust & Safety teams, which operate around the clock and around the globe. Individuals found to be involved in cyberbullying may be given a warning, their accounts might be suspended or their accounts could be shut down completely. 

We recommend leaving any group chat where bullying or any unwelcome behaviour is taking place and please report the behaviour and/or the account to us.  

Our Community Guidelines define a set of norms and common code of conduct for TikTok and they provide guidance on what is and is not allowed to make a welcoming space for everyone. We make it clear that we do not tolerate members of our community being shamed, bullied or harassed. We take action against any such content and accounts, including removal.

We strongly enforce our rules to ensure all people can participate in the public conversation freely and safely. These rules specifically cover a number of areas including topics such as:

• Child sexual exploitation
• Abuse/harassment
• Hateful conduct
• Suicide or self-harm
• Sharing of sensitive media, including graphic violence and adult content

As part of these rules, we take a number of different enforcement actions when content is in violation. When we take enforcement actions, we may do so either on a specific piece of content (e.g., an individual post or Direct Message) or on an account.

You can find more on our enforcement actions here .

10. Technology companies don’t seem to care about online bullying and harassment. Are they being held responsible?

Technology companies are increasingly paying attention to the issue of online bullying.

Many of them are introducing ways to address it and better protect their users with new tools, guidance and ways to report online abuse.

But it is true that more is needed. Many young people experience cyberbullying every day. Some face extreme forms of online abuse. Some have taken their own lives as a result.

Technology companies have a responsibility to protect their users especially children and young people.

It is up to all of us to hold them accountable when they’re not living up to these responsibilities.

11. Are there any online anti-bullying tools for children or young people?

Each social platform offers different tools (see available ones below) that allow you to restrict who can comment on or view your posts or who can connect automatically as a friend, and to report cases of bullying. Many of them involve simple steps to block, mute or report cyberbullying. We encourage you to explore them.

Social media companies also provide educational tools and guidance for children, parents and teachers to learn about risks and ways to stay safe online.

Also, the first line of defense against cyberbullying could be you. Think about where cyberbullying happens in your community and ways you can help – by raising your voice, calling out bullies, reaching out to trusted adults or by creating awareness of the issue. Even a simple act of kindness can go a long way.

The first line of defense against cyberbullying could be you.

If you are worried about your safety or something that has happened to you online, urgently speak to an adult you trust. Many countries have a special helpline you can call for free and talk to someone anonymously. Visit  United for Global Mental Health to find help in your country.

We have a number of anti-bullying tools across Facebook and Instagram:

• You can block people, including any existing and new accounts they might create.
• You can  mute  an account and that account will not be notified.
• You can limit unwanted interactions for a period of time by automatically hiding comments and message requests from people who don’t follow you, or who only recently followed you.
• You can use ‘ Restrict ’ to discreetly protect your account without that person being notified.
• You can  moderate comments  on your own posts.
• You can  modify your settings  so that only people you follow can send you a direct message.
• We will notify someone when they’re about to post something that might cross the line, encouraging them to reconsider.
• We automatically filter out comments and message requests that don’t go against our Community Guidelines but may be considered inappropriate or offensive. You can also create your own custom list of emojis, words or phrases that you don’t want to see.

For more tips and ideas, visit Instagram’s Safety page and Facebook’s Bullying Prevention Hub . We also offer resources, insights and expert guidance for parents and guardians on our Family Center .

We want teens and young adults to be aware of the blocking and removal functions on Snapchat. Clicking on the person’s avatar will bring up a three-dot menu in the upper right-hand corner. Opening that menu offers the option of “Manage Friendship,” which, in turn, offers the ability to Report, Block or Remove the person as a friend. Know that if you block someone, they will be told that their Snaps and Chats to you will be delivered once the relationship is restored.  

It’s also a good idea to check privacy settings to ensure they continue to be set to the default setting of “Friends Only.” This way, only people you’ve added as Friends can send you Snaps and Chats.  

We also recommend reviewing your Friends’ list from time to time to ensure it includes those people you still want to be friends with on Snapchat.  

Alongside the work that our safety teams do to help keep bullying and harassment off our platform, we provide an extensive range of tools to help you control your TikTok experience. You can find these in full on our Safety Centre . Here are a few highlights:

• You can restrict who comments on your videos to no one, just friends or everyone (for those aged under 16, the everyone setting is not available)
• You can filter all comments or those with specific keywords that you choose. By default, spam and offensive comments are hidden from users when we detect them.
• You can delete or report multiple comments at once, and you can block accounts that post bullying or other negative comments in bulk too, up to 100 at a time.
• A comment prompt asks people to reconsider posting a comment that may be inappropriate or unkind, reminding them of our Community Guidelines and allowing them to edit their comments before sharing.

We want everybody to be safe on X. We continue to launch and improve tools for people to feel safer, be in control and manage their digital footprint. Here are some safety tools anyone on X can use: 

• Select who can reply to your posts  – either everyone, only people you follow or only people you mention
• Mute – removing an account's posts from your timeline without unfollowing or blocking that account
• Block – restricting specific accounts from contacting you, seeing your posts, and following you
• Report – filing a report about abusive behaviour
• Safety mode  – a feature that temporarily blocks accounts for using potentially harmful language or sending repetitive and uninvited replies or mentions.

With special thanks to:  Meta, Snap, TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter). Last updated: February 2024.

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Guest Essay

The Happiness Gap Between Left and Right Isn’t Closing

By Thomas B. Edsall

Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C., on politics, demographics and inequality.

Why is it that a substantial body of social science research finds that conservatives are happier than liberals?

A partial answer: Those on the right are less likely to be angered or upset by social and economic inequities, believing that the system rewards those who work hard, that hierarchies are part of the natural order of things and that market outcomes are fundamentally fair.

Those on the left stand in opposition to each of these assessments of the social order, prompting frustration and discontent with the world around them.

The happiness gap has been with us for at least 50 years, and most research seeking to explain it has focused on conservatives. More recently, however, psychologists and other social scientists have begun to dig deeper into the underpinnings of liberal discontent — not only unhappiness but also depression and other measures of dissatisfaction.

One of the findings emerging from this research is that the decline in happiness and in a sense of agency is concentrated among those on the left who stress matters of identity, social justice and the oppression of marginalized groups.

There is, in addition, a parallel phenomenon taking place on the right as Donald Trump and his MAGA loyalists angrily complain of oppression by liberals who engage in a relentless vendetta to keep Trump out of the White House.

There is a difference in the way the left and right react to frustration and grievance. Instead of despair, the contemporary right has responded with mounting anger, rejecting democratic institutions and norms.

In a 2021 Vox article, “ Trump and the Republican Revolt Against Democracy ,” Zack Beauchamp described in detail the emergence of destructive and aggressive discontent among conservatives.

Citing a wide range of polling data and academic studies, Beauchamp found:

More than twice as many Republicans (39 percent) as Democrats (17 percent) believed that “if elected leaders won’t protect America, the people must act — even if that means violence.”

Fifty-seven percent of Republicans considered Democrats to be “enemies,” compared with 41 percent of Democrats who viewed Republicans as “enemies.”

Among Republicans, support for “the use of force to defend our way of life,” as well as for the belief that “strong leaders bend rules” and that “sometimes you have to take the law in your own hands,” grows stronger in direct correlation with racial and ethnic hostility.

Trump has repeatedly warned of the potential for political violence. In January he predicted bedlam if the criminal charges filed in federal and state courts against him damaged his presidential campaign:

I think they feel this is the way they’re going to try and win, and that’s not the way it goes. It’ll be bedlam in the country. It’s a very bad thing. It’s a very bad precedent. As we said, it’s the opening of a Pandora’s box.

Before he was indicted in New York, Trump claimed there would be “potential death and destruction” if he was charged.

At an Ohio campaign rally in March, Trump declared, “If I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a blood bath for the whole country.”

In other words, Trump and his allies respond to adversity and what they see as attacks from the left with threats and anger, while a segment of the left often but not always responds to adversity and social inequity with dejection and sorrow.

There are significant consequences for this internalization.

Jamin Halberstadt , a professor of psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand and a co-author of “ Outgroup Threat and the Emergence of Cohesive Groups : A Cross-Cultural Examination,” argued in his emailed reply to my inquiry that because “a focus on injustice and victimhood is, by definition, disempowering (isn’t that why we talk of ‘survivors’ rather than ‘victims’?), loss of control is not good for self-esteem or happiness.”

But, he pointed out:

this focus, while no doubt a part of the most visible and influential side of progressive ideology, is still just a part. Liberalism is a big construct, and I’m reluctant to reduce it to a focus on social justice issues. Some liberals have this view, but I suspect their influence is outsized because (a) they have the social media megaphone and (b) we are in a climate in which freedom of expression and, in particular, challenges to the worldview you characterize have been curtailed.

Expanding on this line of argument, Halberstadt wrote:

I’m sure some self-described liberals have views that are counterproductive to their own happiness. One sub-ideology associated with liberalism is, as you describe, a sense of victimhood and grievance. But there is more than one way to respond to structural barriers. Within that group of the aggrieved, some probably see systemic problems that cannot be overcome, and that’s naturally demoralizing and depressing. But others see systemic problems as a challenge to overcome.

Taking Halberstadt’s assessment of the effects of grievance and victimhood a step farther, Timothy A. Judge , the chairman of the department of management and human resources at Notre Dame, wrote in a 2009 paper, “ Core Self-Evaluations and Work Success ”:

Core self-evaluations (C.S.E.) is a broad, integrative trait indicated by self-esteem, locus of control, generalized self-efficacy and (low) neuroticism (high emotional stability). Individuals with high levels of C.S.E. perform better on their jobs, are more successful in their careers, are more satisfied with their jobs and lives, report lower levels of stress and conflict, cope more effectively with setbacks and better capitalize on advantages and opportunities.

I asked Judge and other scholars a question: Have liberal pessimists fostered an outlook that spawns unhappiness as its adherents believe they face seemingly insurmountable structural barriers?

Judge replied by email:

I do share the perspective that a focus on status, hierarchies and institutions that reinforce privilege contributes to an external locus of control. And the reason is fairly straightforward. We can only change these things through collective and, often, policy initiatives — which tend to be complex, slow, often conflictual and outside our individual control. On the other hand, if I view “life’s chances” (Virginia Woolf’s term) to be mostly dependent on my own agency, this reflects an internal focus, which will often depend on enacting initiatives largely within my control.

Judge elaborated on his argument:

If our predominant focus in how we view the world is social inequities, status hierarchies, societal unfairness conferred by privilege, then everyone would agree that these things are not easy to fix, which means, in a sense, we must accept some unhappy premises: Life isn’t fair; outcomes are outside my control, often at the hands of bad, powerful actors; social change depends on collective action that may be conflictual; an individual may have limited power to control their own destiny, etc. These are not happy thoughts because they cause me to view the world as inherently unfair, oppressive, conflictual, etc. It may or may not be right, but I would argue that these are in fact viewpoints of how we view the world, and our place in it, that would undermine our happiness.

Last year, George Yancey , a professor of sociology at Baylor University, published “ Identity Politics, Political Ideology, and Well-Being : Is Identity Politics Good for Our Well-Being?”

Yancey argued that recent events “suggest that identity politics may correlate to a decrease in well-being, particularly among young progressives, and offer an explanation tied to internal elements within political progressiveness.”

By focusing on “political progressives, rather than political conservatives,” Yancey wrote, “a nuanced approach to understanding the relationship between political ideology and well-being begins to emerge.”

Identity politics, he continued, focuses “on external institutional forces that one cannot immediately alleviate.” It results in what scholars call the externalization of one’s locus of control, or viewing the inequities of society as a result of powerful if not insurmountable outside forces, including structural racism, patriarchy and capitalism, as opposed to believing that individuals can overcome such obstacles through hard work and collective effort.

As a result, Yancey wrote, “identity politics may be an important mechanism by which progressive political ideology can lead to lower levels of well-being.”

Conversely, Yancey pointed out, “a class-based progressive cognitive emphasis may focus less on the group identity, generating less of a need to rely on emotional narratives and dichotomous thinking and may be less likely to be detrimental to the well-being of a political progressive.”

Yancey tested this theory using data collected in the 2021 Baylor Religion Survey of 1,232 respondents.

“Certain types of political progressive ideology can have contrasting effects on well-being,” Yancey wrote. “It is plausible that identity politics may explain the recent increase well-being gap between conservatives and progressives.”

Oskari Lahtinen , a senior researcher in psychology at the University of Turku in Finland, published a study in March, “ Construction and Validation of a Scale for Assessing Critical Social Justice Attitudes ,” that reinforces Yancey’s argument.

Lahtinen conducted two surveys of a total of 5,878 men and women to determine the share of Finnish citizens who held “critical social justice attitudes” and how those who held such views differed from those who did not.

Critical social justice proponents, on Lahtinen’s scale,

point out varieties of oppression that cause privileged people (e.g., male, white, heterosexual, cisgender) to benefit over marginalized people (e.g., woman, Black, gay, transgender). In critical race theory, some of the core tenets include that (1) white supremacy and racism are omnipresent and colorblind policies are not enough to tackle them, (2) people of color have their own unique standpoint and (3) races are social constructs.

What did Lahtinen find?

The critical social justice propositions encountered

strong rejection from men. Women expressed more than twice as much support for the propositions. In both studies, critical social justice was correlated modestly with depression, anxiety, and (lack of) happiness, but not more so than being on the political left was.

In an email responding to my inquiries about his paper, Lahtinen wrote that one of the key findings in his research was that “there were large differences between genders in critical social justice advocacy: Three out of five women but only one out of seven men expressed support for the critical social justice claims.”

In addition, he pointed out, “there was one variable in the study that closely corresponded to external locus of control: ‘Other people or structures are more responsible for my well-being than I myself am.’”

The correlation between agreement with this statement and unhappiness was among the strongest in the survey:

People on the left endorsed this item (around 2 on a scale of 0 to 4) far more than people on the right (around 0.5). Endorsing the belief was determined by political party preference much more than by gender, for instance.

Such measures as locus of control, self-esteem, a belief in personal agency and optimism all play major roles in daily life.

In a December 2022 paper, “ The Politics of Depression : Diverging Trends in Internalizing Symptoms Among U.S. Adolescents by Political Beliefs,” Catherine Gimbrone , Lisa M. Bates , Seth Prins and Katherine M. Keyes , all at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, noted that “trends in adolescent internalizing symptoms diverged by political beliefs, sex and parental education over time, with female liberal adolescents experiencing the largest increases in depressive symptoms, especially in the context of demographic risk factors, including parental education.”

“These findings,” they added, “indicate a growing mental health disparity between adolescents who identify with certain political beliefs. It is therefore possible that the ideological lenses through which adolescents view the political climate differentially affect their mental well-being.”

Gimbrone and her co-authors based their work on studies of 85,000 teenagers from 2005 to 2018. They found that

while internalizing symptom scores worsened over time for all adolescents, they deteriorated most quickly for female liberal adolescents. Beginning in approximately 2010 and continuing through 2018, female liberal adolescents reported the largest changes in depressive affect, self-esteem, self-derogation and loneliness.

In conclusion, the authors wrote, “socially underprivileged liberals reported the worst internalizing symptom scores over time, likely indicating that the experiences and beliefs that inform a liberal political identity are ultimately less protective against poor mental health than those that inform a conservative political identity.”

From another vantage point, Nick Haslam , a professor of psychology at the University of Melbourne, argued in his 2020 paper “ Harm Inflation: Making Sense of Concept Creep ” that recent years have seen “a rising sensitivity to harm within at least some Western cultures, such that previously innocuous or unremarked phenomena were increasingly identified as harmful and that this rising sensitivity reflected a politically liberal moral agenda.”

As examples, Haslam wrote that the definition of “trauma” has been

progressively broadened to include adverse life events of decreasing severity and those experienced vicariously rather than directly. “Mental disorder” came to include a wider range of conditions, so that new forms of psychopathology were added in each revision of diagnostic manuals and the threshold for diagnosing some existing forms was lowered. “Abuse” extended from physical acts to verbal and emotional slights and incorporated forms of passive neglect in addition to active aggression.

Haslam described this process as concept creep and argued that “some examples of concept creep are surely the work of deliberate actors who might be called expansion entrepreneurs.”

Concept expansion, Haslam wrote, “can be used as a tactic to amplify the perceived seriousness of a movement’s chosen social problem.” In addition, “such expansion can be effective means of enhancing the perceived seriousness of a social problem or threat by increasing the perceived prevalence of both ‘victims’ and ‘perpetrators.’”

Haslam cited studies showing that strong “correlates of holding expansive concepts of harm were compassion-related trait values, left-liberal political attitudes and forms of morality associated with both.” Holding expansive concepts of harm was also “associated with affective and cognitive empathy orientation and most strongly of all with endorsement of harm- and fairness-based morality.” Many of these characteristics are associated with the political left.

“The expansion of harm-related concepts has implications for acceptable self-expression and free speech,” Haslam wrote. “Creeping concepts enlarge the range of expressions judged to be unacceptably harmful, thereby increasing calls for speech restrictions. Expansion of the harm-related concepts of hate and hate speech exemplifies this possibility.”

While much of the commentary on the progressive left has been critical, Haslam takes a more ambivalent position: “Sometimes concept creep is presented in an exclusively negative frame,” he wrote, but that fails to address the “positive implications. To that end, we offer three positive consequences of the phenomenon.”

The first is that expansionary definitions of harm “can be useful in drawing attention to harms previously overlooked. Consider the vertical expansion of abuse to include emotional abuse.”

Second, “concept creep can prevent harmful practices by modifying social norms.” For example, “changing definitions of bullying that include social exclusion and antagonistic acts expressed horizontally rather than only downward in organizational hierarchies may also entrench norms against the commission of destructive behavior.”

And finally:

The expansion of psychology’s negative concepts can motivate interventions aimed at preventing or reducing the harms associated with the newly categorized behaviors. For instance, the conceptual expansion of addiction to include behavioral addictions (e.g., gambling and internet addictions) has prompted a flurry of research into treatment options, which has found that a range of psychosocial treatments can be successfully used to treat gambling, internet and sexual addictions.

Judge suggested an approach to this line of inquiry that he believed might offer a way for liberalism to regain its footing:

I would like to think that there is a version of modern progressivism that accepts many of the premises of the problem and causes of inequality but does so in a way that also celebrates the power of individualism, of consensus and of common cause. I know this is perhaps naïve. But if we give in to cynicism (that consensus can’t be found), that’s self-reinforcing, isn’t it? I think about the progress on how society now views sexual orientation and the success stories. The change was too slow, painful for many, but was there any other way?

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Thomas B. Edsall has been a contributor to the Times Opinion section since 2011. His column on strategic and demographic trends in American politics appears every Wednesday. He previously covered politics for The Washington Post. @ edsall