Stop Bullying

What is Bullying Harassment

Bullying harassment may include verbal bullying, cyber bullying, text bullying, etc…and may occur as part of workplace harassment, or school bullying. This article helps define bullying harassment and offers tips on dealing with bullying harassment. Help stop bullying now.

One of the issues that many of us deal with while growing up is bullying harassment. Bullying harassment is common, but that does not mean that it should be acceptable. It is a good idea to teach your children ways to avoid bullies, and also to teach them to treat others with respect. Indeed, it is possible for some who have been harassed to become bullies themselves in some situations.

What is bullying harassment?

A bully is someone who is overbearing or cruel. The aim of bullying is to cause embarrassment and humiliation in the subject. Often, a bully is someone who is bigger or stronger in some way, and who harasses those who are smaller or weaker. Harassment is systematically bothering someone to the point where the environment becomes dangerous in some way. Bullying harassment is aimed at intimidation, and a desire to dominate for some reason.

It is important to note that bullying is not just physical behavior. While many people think of bullying in terms of physical harm and danger, this is not the only type of bullying harassment out there. It is also possible to bully people emotionally, verbally or electronically – without ever laying a finger on the victims. It is important to note that non-physical forms of bullying harassment can be just as traumatizing as physical bullying. Indeed, physical signs of bullying often disappear long before the psychological effects of emotional, verbal or electronic bullying disappear.

Even in its non-physical forms, bullying harassment is meant to intimidate and terrorize the victim. Saying rude and hurtful things habitually, turning friends, classmates and co-workers against someone, or harassing someone online or via text message, are all forms of bullying. These types of bullying can lead to ostracizing the victim, as well as inflicting emotional damage. The idea is to raise oneself up by tearing someone down and ruining his or her reputation. This can drive victims into depression, anti-social behavior and even substance abuse.

Dealing with bullying harassment

It can be difficult to deal with bullying harassment. However, since bullying is a behavior aimed at choosing someone who appears weak and then intimidating him or her further, there are some techniques that can help stave off bullies:

  • Showing good posture indicates confidence, and may reduce someone’s likelihood of being a target.
  • Making eye contact can also communicate that you are not vulnerable.
  • Avoid isolated areas. Try to stay in public areas, where there are likely to be witnesses – especially authority figures – to the bullying behavior.
  • Keep friends around. Many bullies are not interested in picking on someone who has a support system. Try to go places with friends, so that you are not alone.
  • Runaway. This can be difficult, especially for children. However, it is better to leave the situation than to comply with a bully’s demands.
  • Tell an authority figure. Children should be taught to notify authority figures of bullying behavior. This can be a good move, since it will bring the bully to the attention of those who can keep an eye on things.

You will need to show that you are willing to listen to your child, and that you will take him or her seriously. Try not to judge, and teach your child tactics to help him or her avoid becoming a target. If he or she is a target, let someone (teachers, etc.) know about the problem. You can try to approach the parents of the bully, but they might not be willing to hear the truth. It is important, though, that your attempts to talk to a bully’s parents do not end up in conflict.

In the end, the best thing to do is to work with other parents and teachers to help show those in the school that bullying is not something that will be tolerated. This can nip the problem in the bud, as long as everyone makes an effort to stop bullying.

Stop Cyber Bullying

Cyber bullying has become a serious problem for young people and can cause long-term damage to victims and bullies. It is important to stop cyber bullying and get help for the people involved, but it can be hard to know how to stop cyber bullying. Parents and other concerned adults can work together with young people to prevent or stop cyber bullying.

In the last few years cyber bullying has received a lot of attention from the media, as well as from concerned adults and young people. Cyber bullying involves sending hurtful, threatening, or embarrassing messages to or about another person using email, blogs, cell phones, social networking sites, and other electronic media. These technologies are an important part of many people’s social and work lives, but to enjoy the positive benefits of electronic communication, it is necessary to prevent or stop cyber bullying.

Cyber bullying can be worse than other types of bullying because the bully may be anonymous or meaner than they would be in person, and the bullying can come at any time and in any place. Cyber bullying is related to short and long term problems for the victims and the bullies, such as depression, anxiety, poor school attendance and performance, and feeling fear and mistrust toward others. It is important to stop cyber bullying and get help for the victims and the perpetrators.

Though cyber bullying has become unfortunately common, there are some ways that kids, parents, and other concerned adults can help prevent or stop cyber bullying. Parents and other adults can:

  • Explain to kids what cyber bullying is, why it is wrong, and what will happen if the kids engage in cyber bullying, and enforce the consequences if the rules are broken. It can be difficult to accept if you find out your child has been a bully online, but by enforcing the rules it will help them develop better online behaviors.
  • Encourage kids to come to tell an adult if they ever see cyber bullying, either as a victim or a bystander, and help stop cyber bullying by never passing it on.
  • Help kids to be Internet safety savvy. They should know, especially, that they can’t trust that a person online is who they seem to be so they should only share personal information in person and that they shouldn’t share their passwords with anyone except their parents. They should also understand that anything they post online or send through a cell phone may resurface later, so they should not post or send pictures or messages they would not want everyone in the world to see, perhaps even years later.
  • Parents should have access to all of their kids’ accounts, and their kids should know that their parents may check occasionally to make sure their online activities are safe. It is also a good idea to keep computers in a busy area of the house, and out of bedrooms, and parents may also want to have a rule that cell phones must be turned off at certain times. like at night. Though kids do need some privacy, they should understand there is no guarantee of privacy online, and their parents have the responsibility to keep their kids safe.
  • Let kids know that no one deserves to be bullied, and if they are ever the victim reassure them that it is not their fault that they were bullied.

Kids who are the victims of cyberbullying, and their parents, may not know how to react. In some cases it depends on what has occurred, but these general suggestions may help:

  • Don’t punish kids for being the victim. This means parents should not take away their computer or cell phone privileges to “protect” them.
  • Encourage kids not to retaliate against cyber bullies. If they have already done so, encourage them not to do it again, but don’t make them feel like this caused the bullying.
  • When cyber bullying occurs, it is a good idea to document it, either by saving the message, printing it, or saving a screen shot. This provides proof to help stop cyber bullying.
  • When a child is the victim of cyber bullying, talk together with them about the next steps to take, and take the victim’s concerns seriously if they are afraid of the bully.
  • It may be possible to block messages from the cyber bully, or to get a new email address or cell phone number to stop the messages. In some cases, however, the cyber bully may find other ways to attack their victim.
  • In some cases, school administrators might be able to intervene in cyber bullying, or you may be able to contact the bully’s parents about the problem in writing, with a copy of the proof of the bullying and a request for it to stop. In other cases, parents may want to talk to the police or a lawyer about legal options.
  • Parents can contact the bully’s cell phone provider or the host of the bully’s email account or web site to report the cyber bullying. Cyber bullies can often lose their accounts, and possibly their families’ accounts as well, for cyber bullying. Even anonymous cyber bullies can sometimes be traced and stopped through their Internet service provider or cell phone provider.

Many forms of cyber bullying are against state and even federal bullying laws, and in these cases parents can contact the police for help. This is definitely an option to consider when the cyber bully’s attacks have been:

  • Threatening
  • Sexual in nature, including sending suggestive pictures or pictures taken in a private place like a bathroom
  • Extortion, demanding money or something else in return for the cyber bullying to stop
  • Possible hate crimes attacking a person’s ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation
  • Stalking or harassment

Both the victims and the perpetuators of cyber bullying may need counseling and other help to overcome the negative consequences and stop cyber bullying.

Sources:

National Crime Prevention Council, “What Parents Can Do About Cyber Bullying” [online]

SafetyWeb, “Stop Cyberbullying – Guide for Parents” [online]

Stop Bullying Now! “Cyberbullying” [online]

STOP Cyberbullying web site [online]

Stop Bullying Now Review

Stop Bullying Now! is a web site about bullying provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of Stop Bullying Now! is to educate kids, parents, teachers, and other adults about bullying and how to handle it. This review discusses some of the features, highlights, and uses of the Stop Bullying Now! web site.

The US Department of Health and Human Service’s Stop Bullying Now! website supports their campaign to recognize and stop bullying. The Stop Bullying Now! website includes information, videos, posters, public service announcements, and other materials, all of which can be downloaded and used free of charge in campaigns against bullying. The web site is divided into two main sections,  with one for adults and one for kids. The web page is found at http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov. The campaign’s theme is “Take a Stand. Lend a Hand. Stop Bullying Now!”

The kids’ section of the Stop Bullying Now! web site is mainly geared toward “tweens,” or 9 to 14 year olds. The Stop Bullying Now! website was designed with the input of a group of 18 tweens, as well as a few teenagers, from all over the US who had personal experiences with bullying. The kids’ section includes several sections to help young people recognize and combat bullying:

  • Webisodes – short video clips that make up a story showing cartoon characters facing various types of bullying, and how these characters deal with it. Each webisode is followed by a few questions to help kids think about what they just watched. These would be helpful for parents who watch the webisodes with their kids and talk to them about what they are seeing.
  • Short info pages for kids explaining what bullying is and some ways they may want to handle it
  • Questions from other kids about bullying with answers from experts
  • A quiz to help kids know if they have ever acted like a bully
  • Games

The Stop Bullying Now! section for adults has more specific information that adults might find useful:

  • Facts and statistics about bullying, including specific information about kids who bully and kids who are bullied
  • A section on cyber bullying
  • A list of states that have laws against bullying
  • News related to bullying and efforts to stop bullying
  • Downloadable webcasts to watch and share with others
  • Links to other resources about bullying
  • Ideas and resources for starting a Stop Bullying Now! campaign

Stop Bullying Now! offers specific information and tips for adults in various roles, including:

  • Parents and family members
  • Teachers
  • School administrators
  • Law enforcement
  • Medical and mental health professionals
  • Youth advisors and leaders

Some of the information provided in these sections includes best practices for bullying intervention, tips to help parents talk to PTAs or school faculty members about bullying problems, and advice to help determine the extent of bullying problems at a school. There is some overlap of material between the different sections, and sometimes finding the information you are looking for requires clicking through several links.

The Stop Bullying Now! website is an excellent resource for kids and adults looking for information about bullying, including how to recognize bullying and advice on how to prevent or stop it. The fact that the materials may be downloaded and used to teach about and help prevent bullying is an especially useful feature. The links to other web sites are also helpful since, though the Stop Bullying Now! web site has a lot of information, some people may want more or different help than what the web site provides. Teens may find some of the information helpful, but they may not connect with all of the parts of the kids’ web site, and the information on the adults’ website is often not pertinent to them.

Parents will find a lot of information from Stop Bullying Now! to help them understand bullying and get tips on how to approach the problem if their child is a bully or a victim of bullying. Another excellent use of this site for parents is starting a conversation with their kids about bullying. Parents can watch the webisodes and do the activities with their kids and use this as an opportunity to explain that bullying is wrong and to find out if their kids have ever seen or been involved in bullying, as a bully or a victim. If they find that their child does have a problem related to bullying, the web site offers some good tips. Of course, parents who have serious concerns about their child and bullying may also need to talk to a doctor or mental health professional to get further counseling and advice.