Bullying

What is bullying?

Bullying is a type of aggressive behavior resulting in the intentional injury or discomfort of someone. It involves a real or perceived power struggle. The behavior is repeated or has the potential to be repeated.

Types of Bullying

Verbal Bullying: saying or writing mean things, including:
- Teasing
- Name-calling
- Inappropriate sexual comments
- Taunting
- Threatening
Social Bullying
- Leaving someone out purposely
- Telling others not to be friends with someone
- Spreading rumors
- Embarrassing someone publicly
Physical Bullying
- Hitting, kicking, pinching
- Spitting
- Tripping, pushing
- Stealing/breaking someone’s property
- Making rude/mean hand gestures

What should you do to help?

If you experience or witness bullying, you should contact a teacher, school counselor, or an adult you feel comfortable talking to. Click here for more information.

The Effects of Bullying

Kids who are bullied experience:
- Depression and anxiety, loneliness, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, loss of interest in activities
- Health complaints
- Decreased academic achievement; more likely to skip or drop out of school
Kids who bully others are more likely to:
- Develop alcohol and drugs abuse problems as adults
- Get into fights, vandalize property, drop out of school
- Have criminal convictions and traffic citations as adults
- Be abusive towards romantic partners or children as adults
Bystanders are more likely to:
- Have increased use of alcohol and drugs
- Have increased mental health problems, including depression and anxiety
- Skip school

Hawai’i DOE — Speak Now App

From the HIDOE website: “The Speak Now HIDOE app provides another avenue for students to report bullying incidents on campus — digitally and anonymously, if they choose — to appropriate school personnel.”

Read more about this app here (HIDOE website), and here (Speak Now Website).