Bullying Prevention for Kids
[Announcer] This program is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bullying is when kids hurt or scare other kids on purpose. A bully might call you mean names, tease you about your shoes, or steal your lunch. You can feel bullied if other kids purposely leave you out of something fun or spread rumors about you. Mean text messages or things written about you on the Internet is also a type of bullying. All of these things are not nice and can make the person being bullied feel bad. Nobody likes to be picked on and bullying can hurt everyone.
So what can you do to stop the bully? First, you could speak up against bullying. Find an adult and tell them what’s happening. Tell your parents. Teachers and school counselors are often trained to know what to do about bullying. Remember that if you are being bullied, it’s not your fault. Nobody should ever make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. If you see bullying happening to other kids, don’t ignore it. Tell an adult.
Kids who are being bullied should try to remember these four things:
First, don’t go it alone. If you are being bullied or know someone who is being bullied, tell a trusted adult, like a teacher, parent, or coach. Adults can help you cope with the experience and work to help you find a solution.
Second, victims aren’t alone. Although you may feel like you are the only one being picked on, the reality is that a lot of kids are bullied. You aren’t alone in this.
Third, help is available. Many schools have prevention programs and policies in place to help and protect kids. These approaches often work to create a school where everyone sees bullying as unacceptable. For example, bystanders would intervene when they see bullying and say, “Hey, that isn’t cool here.” Teachers also learn how to respond appropriately when bullying occurs.
Fourth, bullying is unacceptable. Many people falsely believe that bullying is just part of growing up and something we must all experience during our childhood. In reality, bullying can interfere with your school work and hurt the way you feel about yourself. It’s something we must not accept and something we must prevent. Your well-being is important. Make sure you are heard. Lots of times, there are people around who can help.
If you aren’t being bullied, you might see it happening to other kids. If you do, take action! Be a friend to the person who is being bullied. Talk with them, sit with them at lunch, and play with them at recess. If someone did the same thing for you, would you feel better?
If you aren’t being bullied, but want to help kids who are, here are some things you can do. First, set a good example. Don’t bully others. If the kid being bullied is too scared to tell a teacher or other adult, maybe you can tell an adult about the bullying instead. Also, there’s a website that has a toolkit for kids like you. It’s called the Youth Leader Toolkit and you can get it at StopBullying.gov. By using this toolkit, you can be a leader and teach younger kids that bullying is not okay and that they can stop bullying before it begins.
Remember, if you’re being bullied, you’re not alone. There are people who can help.
For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention.
[Announcer]For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.
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