Worried about bullying

Bullying can take many forms and can take place at at school, home, online – or anywhere else. Bullying can be someone repeatedly hurting you, teasing you, name-calling or threatening you online (cyberbullying) or to your face. Bullying can happen to anyone, young and old – even celebrities like Olympic champion Tom Daley, who moved schools after experiencing bullying.

The most important thing to remember is no one has the right to bully you. You don’t have to deal with it alone – there are many people and organisations who can help you.

If you are bullying somebody and want help there’s support for you too – find advice through the links in the boxes below, and read more here about behavioural disorders which can lead to bullying behaviour.

Where can I get help?

The best thing you can do is tell an adult you trust, such as a parent, carer or someone in school. This may seem difficult, but it can make a real difference. Our advice on starting conversations can help with that. Secondly, please visit the links below – or call Childline for immediate help and support: their free phone number is 0800 1111.

Online messageboards

We recommend you take care if you share on messageboards, whether that’s for mental health or anything else. Online messageboards should tell you how they make sure your information is kept safe and confidential, and how they make sure users respect each other and content is appropriate. A really good example of a messageboard that does this well is from Childline.

You might also find these helpful...

Bullying UK

This national charity gives supportive, non-judgemental advice about bullying for young people and parents

Bullying (YoungMinds)

Bullying affects over one million young people every year, and anyone can be bullied – get advice and support here

Am I a bully? (BBC)

This interactive guide will help you understand more about bullying and your own behaviour