What is bullying? whiteboard animations
What is bullying? is a series of four short animated videos for teachers on the national definition of bullying
for Australian schools.
Identifying whether a situation is bullying or something else helps schools to work out the best response.
To do so, schools and families need to look beyond what they can see in students’ behaviour to what might
be really going on behind the scenes.
The series helps schools develop a shared understanding of bullying
within their school community. The first video introduces the
national definition, and the following videos each explore one of the
three main features of bullying: the misuse of power in relationships,
that it is ongoing and repeated, and behaviours that can cause harm.
Watch the videos at: https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/Resources/Videos
Discussion questions
The discussion questions can be used for staff development. Exploring ideas and ensuring a shared
understanding amongst school staff is essential to foster a positive approach to countering bullying.
These questions are prompts for staff discussion if required and the decision about how to organise the
discussion should be made locally. All questions are optional, and schools can select from the list as
appropriate for their interests.
1. Have we included the definition of bullying in our school policy (or other document) and do students,
staff and parents all share this understanding of bullying and engage with the school’s policy?
2. How well does our school’s definition align with the National Safe Schools Framework definition of
bullying?
3. Given that schools need to ensure everyone is safe and to promote appropriate behaviour by everyone
in the school community, why is it important to distinguish bullying from other issues?
4. How do we communicate the school’s expectations for positive behaviour in face-to-face and online
situations?
5. How does our school support students to seek help and report bullying?
6. How confident are we that we have a comprehensive picture of bullying between students?
7. Do we use incidents of conflict and bullying as opportunities for students to learn more appropriate
ways to resolve interpersonal conflicts and to relate to each other?
8. Do the school’s immediate and long term responses to bullying take into account impacts on existing
power imbalances and on the ongoing relationships between students?
9. How do we involve our whole school community in promoting a positive school climate?
10. What have we identified as key issues for our school and what are the next steps for us?
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Video 1
Bullying can happen anywhere: at school, at
home and at work. It can happen to anyone.
Bullying is never ok! The first step to address
bullying is to understand exactly what bullying is.
A formal definition of bullying for Australian
schools has been developed by the Safe and
Supportive School Communities Working Group.
This national group includes all state, territory
and federal education departments, as well as
national Catholic and independent schooling
representatives.
The definition says:
Bullying is an ongoing misuse of power in
relationships through repeated verbal, physical
and/or social behaviour that causes physical
and/or psychological harm.
It can involve an individual or a group misusing
their power over one or more persons. Bullying
can happen in person or online, and it can be
obvious (overt) or hidden (covert).
3.
It’s important to know that Single incidents and conflict or fights between
equals, whether in person or online, are not
defined as bullying.
4.
Bullying of any form or for any reason can have
long-term effects on those involved, including
bystanders.
This definition has been developed as part of the
National Safe Schools Framework and can be
found on the Safe Schools Hub.
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Sometimes things that are called bullying are not
really bullying at all.
From the national definition, we can identify
three main features of bullying:
1. It involves a misuse of power in a
relationship,
2. It is ongoing and repeated, and
3. It involves behaviours that can cause
harm.
6.
Finding positive solutions to bullying involves
everyone. Having a shared understanding of
what bullying is or isn’t, is a very important part
of this.
This four part series explores the national
definition of bullying. The next video looks at the
misuse of power in a relationship.
Schools can find other versions of this definition
of bullying, suitable for use with children and
young people on the Bullying. No Way! website.
7.
Video 2
The national definition of bullying for schools tells
us there are three main features of bullying:
1. It involves a misuse of power in a
relationship,
2. It is ongoing and repeated, and
3. It involves behaviours that can cause
harm.
What do we mean when we say a ‘misuse of
power’?
8.
Power imbalances exist between people and
groups all the time. Differences in social status
are a common part of our society. But when
someone takes advantage of the power
imbalance to coerce or mistreat others, this is
considered a misuse of power.
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Power can come from:
• a person’s situation, for example,
belonging to an exclusive or popular
group
• having possessions or belongings that the
other person or group do not
• personal characteristics, such as being
older, physically stronger, or good at
activities considered important by peers
• being supported by more powerful
people.
10.
If there is no power imbalance, we don’t call it
bullying. We call it conflict. For example, a fight
or disagreement between two people who are
equals, such as two friends at school although
probably unpleasant and upsetting, is not
bullying.
11.
For bullying to occur there must also be a
relationship or ongoing contact between the
people involved. For example, students in
different year levels or classes, or students who
catch the bus together. Identifying how and why
a misuse of power has occurred in relationships
such as these, is the key to finding a positive
solution to bullying.
12.
So a random act of violence by a stranger at a
public event, such as one person continually
yelling abuse at someone they don’t know, is not
bullying because there is no relationship or ongoing contact between the two people.
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Understanding the dynamics of relationships and
how power can be misused can help schools to
address bullying more effectively.
In the next video we look at how bullying is
ongoing and repeated.
For more information about bullying visit the
Bullying. No Way! website.
14.
Video 3
The national definition of bullying for schools tells
us there are three main features of bullying:
1. It involves a misuse of power in a
relationship,
2. It is ongoing and repeated, and
3. It involves behaviours that can cause
harm.
In the previous video we looked at how power
can be misused in relationships. To identify
bullying, we also look for whether the behaviour
is ongoing and repeated.
15.
If someone behaves in a mean or aggressive way
on a single occasion, it is not bullying, even
though the behaviour is not respectful or
acceptable.
16.
Bullying can be ongoing through repeated
actions or it can be through the use of threats
which create the fear that it will happen again. In
fact, we know just the fear that unwanted
actions will be repeated can create distress and
harm. The ongoing nature of bullying adds to the
power imbalance, as the person being bullied
feels powerless and unable to stop it from
happening.
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Online bullying, sometimes called cyberbullying,
is when these same types of behaviours happen
through the internet and mobile devices. Some
young people experience bullying both in person
and online; the misuse of power in the
relationship can cross contexts and situations.
Inappropriate actions online must be between
people who have ongoing contact and be part of
a pattern of repeated behaviours (online or
offline) for it to be called bullying.
18.
One action – such as a nasty comment or an
embarrassing photo – which is repeated through
sharing and forwarding to others, can be bullying
behaviour if the individuals involved know each
other, and have ongoing contact either on or
offline.
19.
So, to describe behaviour as bullying it must be
an ongoing and repeated misuse of power in a
relationship. Single incidents or random
inappropriate actions are not bullying.
20.
Identifying when an ongoing or repeated misuse
of power exists helps schools to respond more
appropriately to bullying.
The next video covers the types of behaviours
that can cause harm.
For more information about bullying visit the
Bullying. No Way! website.
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Video 4
The national definition of bullying for schools tells
us there are three main features of bullying:
1. It involves a misuse of power in a
relationship,
2. It is ongoing and repeated, and
3. It involves behaviours that can cause
harm.
In the previous videos we have looked at the
misuse of power in a relationship and the pattern
of ongoing and repeated behaviour that
characterise bullying. This video looks at the
types of behaviours that can cause harm.
We tend to name bullying by the type of
behaviour that is involved, so we talk about
verbal bullying, physical bullying or social
bullying. Verbal bullying includes name calling or
insulting someone about physical characteristics
such as their weight or height, or other attributes
including race, sexuality, culture, or religion.
Physical bullying includes hitting or otherwise
hurting someone, shoving or intimidating
another person. Social bullying includes excluding
another person or sharing information or images
that will have a harmful effect on the other
person.
But as we’ve already seen in the previous videos,
if any of these behaviours occur only once or are
part of a conflict between equals, no matter how
inappropriate they are, they are not bullying. The
behaviours alone do not define bullying.
Verbal, physical and social bullying can happen in
person. Verbal and social bullying can also
happen online, as can threats of physical
bullying.
Bullying behaviours can be easy to see (overt), or
hidden (covert). Social bullying can be subtle and
even sometimes denied by the other person by
saying, ‘oh, I was only joking!’ In fact, covert
social bullying can be almost impossible for
outsiders to identify.
Bullying can also be direct or indirect. Direct
behaviours occur between the people involved,
whereas indirect actions involve others, for
example passing on insults or spreading rumours.
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These unwanted verbal, physical, or social
behaviours can lead to physical and/or
psychological harm. When these behaviours
cause harm, are repeated, and are part of a
misuse of power in a relationship, we call them
bullying.
It is important for schools to respond to any
inappropriate behaviour and to ensure every
person feels safe. But it is just as important to
identify when a behaviour is part of bullying, and
to look into the underlying reasons and all the
people involved.
The effects of bullying, particularly on the mental
health and wellbeing of those involved, can
continue even after the situation is resolved.
Understanding the definition of bullying and
sharing it with the whole school community is
critical to finding positive and lasting solutions to
bullying.
Understanding the definition of bullying and
sharing it with the whole school community is
critical to finding positive and lasting solutions to
bullying.
More information about bullying can be found on
the Bullying. No Way! website.