I've seen someone being bullied - what can I do?
Seeing someone being bullied can be pretty upsetting. For the person being bullied, having other people see what’s happening and do nothing about it can make the bullying feel even worse.
If you are a bystander (witness) to bullying, it can be hard to know what to do, but there are things you can do that will help. When people intervene, bullying is more likely to stop.
When you choose to act, you become an ‘upstander’: someone who helps instead of standing by. This is not just good for the person being bullied. Being an upstander is good for your mental health too.
Strategies to try
You don’t have to take on the bullying directly to help. If you feel safe to do so, here are some things you can do.
- Show you don’t support it. Frown or shake your head at a mean comment or joke.
- Don’t like or share hurtful posts or images. This keeps the bullying going.
- Interrupt or distract. Speak to the person being targeted, saying something like, ‘Hey, come with me’ or ‘There you are!’
- Give the person being bullied a reason to leave. Say, ‘The teacher wants to see you’ or ‘Can you come help me with something?’
- Offer support afterwards. Let the person who was bullied know you saw what happened and check if they’re ok.
- Call it out. If you feel safe to do so, say or communicate in a calm assertive way ‘That’s not okay’ or ‘We don’t do that here.’
- Report it. Talk to a trusted adult about what you saw. If the person being bullied agrees, report it together. If it’s online, you can also report it to the service or platform it happened on.
If it doesn’t feel safe to intervene, you can report what happened to a teacher or other trusted adult, and let them know you’d like to remain anonymous.
Being bullied can be a lonely and traumatic experience. Upstanders help show the person being bullied that they’re not alone and help make school a safer, kinder place for everyone.
Get help
You don’t have to deal with bullying alone. There is support available to you.
