Bullying
Last year more than 31,000 young people called childline about bullying. That’s almost 89 calls a day. And those were the ones that actually picked up a phone to talk to someone, there would have been so many more.
What is bullying?
Some of you may think a bit of name calling is all part of growing up. It’s important that you know when a bit of fun turns into something more serious - bullying.
There are three forms of bullying:
Verbal
Name calling, sarcasm, rude remarks
Physical
Shoving, poking, hitting, punching, kicking, taking belongings or money
Indirect
Exclusion – not letting people join in, rumours – spreading rumours and starting gossip about someone, ignoring people, getting people into trouble when they haven’t done anything, sending nasty text messages/emails.
There are lots of ways of bullying someone. It normally involves picking on a weaker person and repeatedly intimidating them. It could be cruel and forceful and is upsetting for the person being bullied.
With mobiles, emails and chat rooms there’s more opportunity for bullying. Bullies like to get you when you’re on your own and this is easily achieved now. It’s not just around school and on your way home, but they can reach you when you’re actually at home too. This is perfect for the bullies because they can remain anonymous. Be careful about who you give your mobile number and email address out to. If you do get nasty messages, make sure you keep them.
How does it feel to be bullied?
You may feel like there’s something wrong with you and it’s your fault. You may feel scared and upset. You may not be able to concentrate on your school work. You may feel depressed and alone. Bullying can leave young people with problems which they are still coping with well into their adult life.