At least 20% of students ages 12-18 experience regular bullying in the US. Bullying can take many forms, some of which are more common and noticeable than others. It’s important to recognize signs of bullying and types of bullying so that you can get help if you need it and help prevent it from happening to your friends. Here are the different types of bullying and what they can look like.

Physical

Physical bullying is generally the most noticeable and involves hurting a person’s body or damaging their possessions. Examples of physical bullying include:

• Hitting, punching, slapping
• Tripping, pushing
• Kicking
• Breaking someone’s things
• Stealing someone’s things

Verbal 

Verbal bullying is also usually a noticeable form of bullying and generally involves saying or writing mean things about someone. Examples include:

• Name calling, insults
• Teasing, taunting
• Making inappropriate sexual comments
• Threatening to cause harm

Social

Social bullying is often less obvious to see but can be extremely damaging for students, impacting their academic performance and emotional wellbeing. Examples include:

• Lying about someone, spreading rumors
• Leaving someone out or ignoring them
• Embarrassing someone publicly
• Alienating someone from their friends

Cyber

Cyber bullying is a newer but now common form of bullying that uses electronic communication to harass, threaten, or intimidate someone. Examples of this type of bullying include:

• Making online threats
• Posting or sending hurtful or embarrassing photos, messages, or videos
• Name calling or insulting someone repeatedly on social media
• Posing as someone to post embarrassing or humiliating content on social media

Bullying can be extremely harmful for academic achievement, social standing, and mental health. If you’re a victim of bullying, it’s likely you aren’t alone. It’s important to speak up and tell someone so that someone in authority can help you address the bully head on and prevent harassment from happening to someone else. If you need advice or someone to talk to, our UpStreet therapists are available to talk with right now in the chat.