Although there is no legal definition, generally bullying is behaviour which is intended to hurt someone either emotionally or physically. Bullying can include the following:
- Verbal attacks (name-calling and making fun of others) as well as physical ones, threats of harm, and other forms of intimidation.
- Excluding someone out on purpose, encouraging others not to be friends with them, spreading rumours and gossip, humiliating someone in front of others, making someone the focus of jokes constantly.
- Teasing, making derogatory remarks about appearance, taunting someone, making threats and using insults as a way of humiliating the other person.
Bullying can be a one-off or it can go on for a long time. Bullying can happen to anyone.
Cyberbullying takes place online via social networking sites, messaging apps, gaming sites and chat rooms. This can be fake profiles, negative comments intended to cause distress, sharing personal information without permission, stalking, harassment, trolling and spreading fake rumours.
Bullying is not always deliberate; someone may demonstrate bullying behaviour without intending to. Whichever form it takes it will often cause embarrassment, fear, humiliation or distress to an individual or group of individuals.