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Seattle Public Schools/Departments/Prevention and Intervention/SBIRT and Check Yourself/Student/Teen Resources/Bullying & Harassment Student Resources

Bullying & Harassment Student Resources

SBIRT Resources for Students & Teens

  1. Did you know?
  2. Bullying vs. Conflict
  3. Health Effects of Bullying
  4. What You Can Do About Bullying
  5. Responding to Cyberbullying
  6. Reporting Bullying/Harassment

Did you know?

About 1 in 6 students at Seattle Public Schools said they had been bullied or harassed within the year, according to 2024-25 SBIRT data.

Bullying is when someone aggressively uses their power to target another individual with repeated, unwanted words or actions. Harassment is when bullying happens based on a protected factor, like race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, or identity. There are 4 main types of bullying:

    Physical

    Physical Bullying

    Physical bullying is when a person hurts another person’s body or damages their possessions. Physical bullying can include hitting, kicking, punching, spitting, tripping, pushing, taking or breaking someone’s things, or making mean or rude hand gestures.

    Verbal

    Verbal Bullying

    Verbal bullying is when someone says or writes damaging things to or about another person. Verbal bullying can include teasing, name calling, taunting, or threatening to cause another person harm.

    Social

    Social bullying

    Social bullying is when someone hurts another person’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying can include:

    • Exclusion: Leaving someone out or telling other people not to be friends with the other person
    • Rumors: Spreading false or unproven statements about someone
    • Embarrassment: Sharing information to humiliate or embarrass someone

    Cyber

    Cyberbullying

    Cyberbullying is any bullying that takes place in a digital environment. It can include bullying that happens over text/SMS, social media, online forums, email, gaming platforms, or video sharing apps.

    There are three factors that make cyberbullying different than other kinds of bullying:

    Persistence: Bullying that happens online can be accessed by anyone at any time, can be spread easily, and can happen over and over again with minimal consequences.

    Permanence: Recordings or posts can be screenshot or screen recorded. Bullying content can be hard to remove, and posts that are taken down can be re-posted.

    Anonymity: It can be hard to find the source of cyberbullying. A person can post or comment without sharing their identity, and burner accounts and logins can be created.

    Bullying vs. Conflict

    Bullying is not the same thing as peer conflict. Bullying involves a power imbalance (or perceived power imbalance – where one person thinks the other person has more power).

    An imbalanced scale with the heavier side carrying scattered words that say "in majority, stronger, older, bigger, more popular."

    There are more things that make bullying different than peer conflict. Look at the chart below to see the differences:

    Peer Conflict vs. Bullying
    Peer conflict
    • Disagreements are small or temporary
    • Mean behavior stops when the person who is bullying realizes the harm they’re causing
    • There is an equal power dynamic
    Bullying/harassment
    • There is an intent to hurt, harm, or humiliate the other person
    • Behavior continues even when the person who is bullying knows they’re causing harm
    • There is a power imbalance – or perceived power imbalance (Someone is more popular, in majority, stronger, older, in a leadership role, etc.)

    Health Effects of Bullying

    Bullying can have negative health effects for everyone involved – including the person who is bullying, the person being bullied, and even witnesses of bullying. Here are just some health effects:

      Self-esteem

      Self-esteem: Bullying can negatively impact a person’s confidence and can lower self-esteem (which is how a person feels about their self).

      Mental

      Mental Health: Bullying can cause mental health issues (like isolation, depression, or anxiety) or make existing mental health issues worse.

      Physical

      Physical Health: Bullying can cause physical symptoms like headaches or stomachaches, and can make existing symptoms or illnesses worse.

      Sleep

      Sleep: Bullying can cause insomnia (or sleep loss) because of the stress and anxiety related to bullying. Sleep loss has other effects on health, too.

      School

      School performance: Academics, attendance, and school behavior can be impacted by bullying. This goes for both the person being bullied and the person doing the bullying.

      What You Can Do About Bullying

      To prevent bullying from happening, you can:

      Treat everyone with respect and kindness

      • Stop and think before you do or say something that could hurt someone else
      • Talk to an adult to help find ways to address someone who is bothering you
      • Keep in mind everyone is different – not better or worse.
      • If you think you have bullied someone in the past, apologize.

      Stand up for others

      • If you see someone who is often alone, talk to them, sit with them at lunch, or invite them to do something.
      • If you see someone being bullied, tell an adult you trust.

      Get involved

      • Be a leader in stopping bullying at your school or in your community – write a blog, a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, or post about bullying.
      • Talk to your school’s principal or Prevention and Intervention Specialist to share your ideas
      • Take a pledge on days like Unity Day and share your pledge with others.

      To respond to bullying that is already happening, you can:

      Decide if it’s safe to respond right away

      If you feel safe, responding to the bullying right away is a good way to send the message that it’s not okay. Sometimes, you may have to wait until later to respond to stay safe in the moment.

      Walk away or refuse to participate

      One response that is usually safe in the moment is to walk away. Refusing to participate in the bullying sends the message that it is not okay.

      If it feels safe, tell the person to stop

      If there is no safety risk, tell the person doing the bullying to stop what they’re doing. This tells the bully that what they’re doing is not okay, and tells the target that you have their back.

      Stay calm

      Staying calm keeps the situation from escalating into a bigger problem. If fighting is happening, don’t fight back. Tell a trusted adult if anyone is in danger.

      Tell a trusted adult

      An adult can help you make a plan for how to respond and stay safe if the bullying ever happens again. Adults need to know where and when bullying is happening and to who.

      Responding to Cyberbullying

      Responding to cyberbullying looks a little different than responding to other kinds of bullying. If you or someone you know is being cyberbullies, you can:

      Save evidence

      Keep any screenshots or copies or texts, posts, emails, etc. that show the bullying behavior.

      Avoid responding

      Stop communication and let an adult respond appropriately.

      Report it in-app

      Use app or platform reporting features to report the bullying incident, and block the user from contacting you.

      Tell an adult

      An adult can help you figure out what to do, how to navigate platform reporting, and if any further actions need to be taken.

      Reporting Bullying/Harassment

      If someone is bullying or harassing you, or if you see someone being bullied or harassed, it’s important to tell an adult right away.

      At Seattle Public Schools, you can report bullying/harassment by telling your school’s principal, or by using the HIB Incident Reporting Form found on the Seattle Public Schools Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying website.

      Need immediate help?

      Crisis Connections

      The Lifeline 988

      HearMeWA