SMC Wellbeing
What is Bullying?
Bullying is when someone is being hurt either by words or actions intentionally.
Often bullying is a common occurrence and people feel bad because of it.
Victims of bullying have a hard time stopping what is happening to them and
find it difficult to manage the situation without support. It is essential to understand that bullying isn’t just physical but it is also emotional.
Words can hurt just as much as physical abuse. Social media is a common form
of bullying in which bullies feel that they have more power over someone else which heavily impacts on both of their lives.
What Causes Bullying?
Bullying is not caused by a specific cause but by the influence of many. Research suggests that bullying is caused based on people's personality characteristics and their tendency towards aggressive behaviour combined with physical strength and weaknesses. These are important risk factors for bullying in individual students.
Environmental factors can have a significant impact on the causes of bullying. For example the routines, attitudes, values and behaviours of specific adult figures within a student's life [such as a parent/guardian or teacher] could influence them to act and think in different ways. These adults play a major role in determining if bullying will be prevented or caused as well as the attitudes and beliefs of peers. These influences play a major role and can be a heavy influence on students.
Often people who bully others struggle with controlling their emotions. If you
struggle with controlling your emotions or know someone who might be, it could
helpful to look at the dealing with emotions page on the website.
How To Get Help?
It is important to take action if you feel threatened or are a victim of bullying.
You need to inform others of your situation and surround yourself with support
to help deal with the issue so that you are not alone in difficult circumstances.
If you have attempted to talk to someone but they haven’t been helpful it’s
crucial that you don’t give up and persist in finding someone who can comfort
and guide you. This may be talking to someone on a support line.
If you are talking to someone and opening up to them, you are no longer alone
any more and you can be given beneficial advice and support in order to solve
the problem together.
Why Do People Bully?
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Some people bully others because they are unable to control their emotions and find it easiest to lash out and put down others in order to make themselves feel better.
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Some people bully because they were victims themselves. They think that the only way they can get over their pain is to give it to others.
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Some people are exposed to violent films and/or games which can cause a particular person to try out violent things. These people normally attempt violent acts on people who appear weaker or smaller than them.
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Upbringing can cause a person to become insensitive to other people's emotions and can lead them to bully others.
What are the Effects of Bullying?
Often at schools, bullying has become normalised and is recognised as a part of growing up or an opportunity to stand up for yourself. Few kids naturally will not accept bullying and will do everything they can to stop it however others are not as brave and will be susceptible and heavily influenced by it. People who are bullied often end up feeling lonely, unhappy and scared which can lead to further issues such as depression and anxiety. Not only do they have low self-esteem but often they lose interest in school and other activities. These effects are signs that people may display when being bullied.
Cyberbulling
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that people should take very seriously. In order to prevent further bullying behaviour, the bully's behaviour must be addressed and they must be willing to change. Due to cyberbullying being online it is often hard to respond to it and there are different ways to approach it. If you think that someone is involved in cyberbullying, there are several things you can do:
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Notice – Understand there has been a change in the victim's behaviour and attempt to find the cause of their mood change. Try to work out if these changes happen due to their digital devices.
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Talk – Ask questions in order to know and understand what is happening, how it started, and who is involved.
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Document – It is important to take note of what is happening and where. Take screenshots of harmful posts or content if possible or necessary. Most laws and policies note that bullying is a repeated behaviour, so records help to document it.
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Report – It is vital to report the incident especially if it occurs more than once as the majority of schools and social media platforms have strict policies, rules and reporting processes. If a classmate is cyberbullied remember to report it to the school and inform family members so they have a chance to help. (Both the person being bullied and the bullier need help) Social media platforms are able to help as if the content is reported, it can be removed. If a person has received physical threats, or if a potential crime or illegal behaviour is occurring it is important to report it to the police.
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Support – Peers, mentors, and trusted adults can sometimes intervene publicly to positively influence a situation where negative or harmful content is posted. Public Intervention could mean posting positive comments about the person targeted with bullying to try to shift the conversation in a positive direction and benefit the victim's wellbeing. It can also help to reach out to the child who is bullying and the target of the bullying to express your concern. If it is possible, try to judge if more professional support is needed for those involved, such as speaking with a guidance counsellor or mental health professional.
Video on how you can prevent cyberbullying
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