How to stop bullying
in your community

Prevent Bullying

PROMOTE ONGOING AWARENESS

Awareness is the key to bullying prevention. Bullies can be relentless to their victims, and your anti-bullying awareness campaign needs to be just as persistent. Your anti-bullying campaign can’t be for just one week or one month. It must provide resources 24-7-365.

Empower Kids

EMPOWER KIDS

Bullying is about control and power. Standing up to bullies means making sure every student feels in control and powerful in their own environment. Your anti-bullying campaign must make it easy and safe for kids to report bullying to the right adults in your community.

Stop Bullying

TAKE ACTION

Bullying must stop with you. If you see it, speak up. If you hear it, say something. If you notice it online, report it. Every member of your community has the responsibility to stop any form of bullying when they witness it. Never assume that someone else will take action.

THE DANGERS
OF CYBER-BULLYING

In today’s technology-driven society, bullying has spread from the playground to the digital device. As many as 34% of students report being the victims of cyberbullying, more than double the amount from just 10 years ago. Cyberbullying is defined as “intentional and repeated harm inflicted on others through the use of electronic devices.” It can inflict harm on kids through social media, texting, email, digital photos, and more. Any app or device that allows for unsupervised contact between kids can also be a medium for cyberbullying.

The Dangers of Cyber-Bullyings

What makes cyberbullying particularly dangerous is that it’s increasingly difficult – and in some cases impossible – for adults to witness the behavior. A recent report suggests that only 33% of teens who were targets of cyberbullying reported it to an adult. Awareness and advocacy are the most powerful tools to stop cyberbullying. Your antibullying program should give kids easy ways to report cyberbullying and give adults the tools they need to recognize it.

The Dangers of Cyber-Bullyings

TOOLS & INFORMATION
TO STOP BULLYING

IMPORTANT BULLYING STATISTICS

Bullied Kid

About one out five students report being bullied (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2016).

Bullying in Students

Students who are bullied are more likely than other students to experience poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression (Center for Disease Control, 2015).

Don't Bully Others

Students who bully other students are at increased risk for academic problems, substance use, and violent behavior later in adolescence and adulthood (Center for Disease Control, 2015).

Bullying Behavior

Targets of bullying behavior report that students were most often bullied because of their looks (55%), body shape (37%), or race (16%) (Davis & Nixon, 2010).

How bullying affects

The percentage of individuals who have experienced cyberbullying at some point in their lifetimes has nearly doubled (18% to 34%) from 2007-2016 (Patchin & Hinduja, 2016).

Autistic Puzzle

The National Autistic Society reports that 40 percent of children with autism and 60 percent of children with Asperger’s syndrome have experienced bullying (National Autistic Society).

There is no federal law in the United States that prohibits or restricts bullying behavior. Sometimes, bullying against a protected class is covered under federal harassment laws, but often children who are bullied in school have little legal recourse at a federal level. However, all U.S. States have developed policies or laws that help protect victims of bullying.

Free Anti-Bullying Resources

Even though awareness of bullying is increasing, not everyone understands what constitutes bullying. Use this poster to help adults, and kids, gain a better understanding of bullying behavior. Click here to download the poster.

The repercussions of bullying aren’t always visible. The more teachers, parents, other adults, and siblings understand about how to recognize the signs of bullying, the more likely they’ll be able to help those hurt by it. Use this free downloadable poster to increase awareness of the signs of bullying.

The best defense against bullying is unity. Bullies thrive when no one stands up to them. While kids should never put themselves in a dangerous situation, standing together with another student who is being bullied can sometimes be enough to make the behavior stop or get the attention of an adult. Use this poster as a tool to help kids understand that together they are a powerful. Click here to download the free poster

Bullies can make other kids feel like they have a target on their back. Use this free downloadable poster as a tool to help kids feel empowered against bullying.

Anti-Bullying Wristbands

Anti-Bullying Wristbands

Anti-bullying wristbands can help support your campaign to stop bullying in your community. Made with your message using the colors and styles you want, wristbands increase awareness and keep the topic of bullying top-of mind for kids and adults alike. Click here to order yours.

Where to get more help

Get Help

There are many organizations and programs available to help schools, communities, parents, and kids combat the bullying epidemic. If you feel threatened or feel like your child is threatened, contact your school, local police department, or dial 9-1-1 in an emergency. If you or someone you care about is experiencing a mental health crisis due to bullying or any other cause, help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.crisistextline.org or 1-800-273-8255.