How to help a friend being bullied

Bullying is bad for everybody – not just the person being bullied. It can make places like school or your sporting club seem unsafe and make you feel as though you don’t want to go there.

If a friend, or someone you know is being bullied you can do something about it. Even if you don’t feel as though you can step in and stop the situation yourself, there are still things you can do, like:

• Don’t stay and watch or encourage bullying. Walk away.
• Don’t get involved in harassment, teasing or spreading gossip about others off or online.
• Don’t forward or respond to offensive or upsetting messages or photos.
• Support the person who is being bullied to ask for help. For example, you could go with them to a place they can get help or provide them with information about where to go for help.
• Tell a trusted adult who might be able to help.