Bullying

Definition

Although there is no legal definition of bullying, it is usually defined as behaviour that is:

It takes many forms and can include:

Who’s at risk

Any child can be bullied for any reason. If a child is seen as different in some way or seen as an easy target, they can be more at risk.

This might be because of their:

Or could be because they:

Popular or successful children are also bullied, sometimes because others are jealous of them. Sometimes a child’s family circumstance or home life can be a reason for someone bullying them.

Disabled children can experience bullying because they seem an easy target and less able to defend themselves.

It is important for us to be aware and to understand the impact of bullying upon children and young people. Below are the different ways that this can manifest.

Short-term impact

Children and young people who have experienced bullying are more likely to:

Long-term impact

King’s College London research from 2015 shows the substantial long-term effect of being bullied (especially if they fall into a ‘frequently bullied’ category) where people were more likely to:

Other research shows people who were bullied as children are more likely to:

Research from University of Warwick and Duke Medical Centre suggests that the long term impact of bullying may even be worse than that of child abuse.

Further information