What you need to know about "Bullying"

Verbal bullying

Verbal bullying is when someone bullies you by saying mean, hurtful things to or about you. They might say things about the way you look, or make fun of your family or friends, or spread lies and gossip about you.

When people tell us things about ourselves enough times, we start to believe it. Bullies want to make you feel bad about yourself; sometimes it’s because they feel bad about themselves and think that by making you look or feel worse that they will look or feel better, but it doesn’t really work that way. Whatever bullies say to you, as much as it may hurt, it’s best to try to remember that they are probably saying these things to get a reaction and that what they are saying is probably not true.

Sometimes bullying like this can actually be a type of emotional abuse, which can be really very hard to deal with (not that bullying itself isn’t difficult to deal with anyway!). So what can you do? You could try talking to an adult you trust about it, or if you still don’t feel like you are getting the support you need then there are organisations you can reach out to who will talk to you about what is happening and try to help you to deal with what is happening.

If you’re being bullied and it’s got so bad that it’s making you think about leaving home, or if you have already run away because of bullying, Runaway Helpline is here for you. You can call or text us for free and in confidence.

Videos about bullying

Marcus Butler

Childline

Physical bullying

Physical bullying is when someone is being violent towards you, like hitting, pushing, kicking etc. Physical bullying can sometimes be easier to spot than other types of bullying, especially if your bully leaves marks on your body from what they have done.

If you have been physically bullied it is important to tell someone about it because physical bullying can become dangerous. The bully may try to make you feel too scared to tell someone about it, but it does usually get worse if you leave it and stay silent – if the bully thinks they can get away with it then they might treat you worse each time and you could get really hurt.

If you can, take photos of any damage the bully has done to you to use as evidence – the physical bullying could be classed as assault which is a criminal offence and having evidence of this could help you to put a stop to it.

If bullying is making you feel like you can’t cope any more and running away is the best option, you can call Runaway Helpline for free and in confidence. You can call us if you’ve already left home or even if you’re just thinking about it.