Bullying: How To Safely Help Someone

Bullying is a common problem faced during the childhood years. Many young people struggle with knowing what to do if they’ve been bullied or if it’s happening to a friend. Educators can teach students in their classrooms to stand up to bullies by practicing bystander intervention or being an “upstander,” when they recognize a potentially harmful situation and actively respond to the situation with the intent to stop the harmful behavior and create a positive outcome.

It can be easy for some teachers to assume that students may be experiencing common drama between peers; however, it is important to know the signs, and understand the difference between conflict and bullying. Conflict occurs when two people do not agree and are upset about a particular circumstance or situation. Conflict occurs on occasion and is not repetitive. In a healthy conflict scenario, both parties have equal power and want to problem-solve. Bullying occurs when there is a power imbalance between individuals or a group of individuals. In situations of bullying, the negative behavior is purposeful, often repetitive, and involves a threat of emotional or physical harm. Bullying has negative social, emotional, developmental, academic, and sometimes physical effects on all parties involved and can lead to more serious issues such as anxiety, depression, and self-harm.

Some research estimates that 57 percent of bullying situations stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of a person who is being bullied. There are four ways a young person can be an upstander: being a buddy, interrupting the bully, speaking out and/or telling someone. While in most cases it can be helpful to let young people use these tools to tackle bullying on their own, there may be times when they’ll need help from you as someone with more authority. If you’re not already familiar with your school’s policies and protocols related to bullying, it may be a good idea to find out what they are. If there aren’t already policies and protocols in place, work with your school to ensure there are clear policies and protocols that are enforced.