Article summary
This article provides some practical steps and solutions for anyone who is being bullied, or may have experienced bullying.
5 Tips on how to stop bullying
Bullying can affect you, even if it鈥檚 not happening directly to you. If you see someone being picked on 鈥 whether in school, among mates or online 鈥 it can be hard to know what to do.
You might be scared that you will become the victim of bullying, or worried about getting involved in something that 鈥榠sn鈥檛 your business鈥.
Being a bystander to bullying is difficult; but not doing anything means that things are unlikely to change.
Here are a few practical things you can do to handle the situation.
1. Tell an adult what is going on
You don鈥檛 have to sort out a bullying situation on your own.
You might not even be sure if someone鈥檚 actions are bullying. But if something doesn鈥檛 feel right it鈥檚 best to be safe and double check.
It can be really helpful to get the opinion of someone you trust who can help work it out. A parent or teacher can take action, but they need to know what鈥檚 going on.
If you鈥檙e worried about getting someone into trouble, remember that as long as you鈥檙e being fair and honest, you are not doing anything wrong by speaking up.
2. Let the person know you're there for them
When you鈥檙e being bullied, it can be easy to feel very isolated.
If you think someone is going through this, let them know they are not alone.
A quick chat, a text or a DM 鈥 however you want to show your support, a little message could be a big help.
3. Record it
If you see someone leaving horrible comments or mean messages online, keep a note or take a screenshot to show an adult.
Sometimes bullies will hide or delete nasty stuff, so it really helps if a parent or teacher is able to see for themselves what鈥檚 going on.
4. First listen, then offer some practical advice
If you鈥檙e being bullied, what you might want most of all is to be listened to and believed. So open up your ears and listen if someone comes to you.
You might not have all the answers to help if someone is being bullied, but it might be really useful if you鈥檙e able to share some tips to show your support.
You could share a video, or send a friend these steps.
People may feel shy about being bullied, and it can be hard for them to open up in a face to face conversation 鈥 so you could also try messaging them, or suggesting they watch or read something privately, in their own time.
5. Get expert help
Just because it鈥檚 not happening directly to you, doesn鈥檛 mean that bullying won鈥檛 hurt or upset you.
If you want to get some support or advice, try reaching out to experts who can help you out. You contact , or get advice from .
However you take a stand against bullying, whether IRL or online, your support can make a massive difference to someone.
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