Bullying and other harmful behaviours can impact a young person’s mental health and wellbeing, their engagement with school and community, and their future relationships and opportunities. Bullying can also make it harder for people to feel safe, connected and included in society. Any behaviour that causes harm, or makes someone feel unsafe, is not okay and needs to be addressed.
We can all play a role to help prevent and address bullying and to support children and young people.
Bullying is no longer limited to what happens face-to-face — it can happen anywhere, including online. Cyberbullying, online harms and emerging digital technologies, such as AI generated or manipulated images, are creating new forms of harm.
It can be obvious and easy to see but often it is hidden and challenging to detect, which can make bullying harder to recognise.
Types of bullying and other harmful behaviours can include:
- Physical: face-to-face interactions that may involve physical harm or damaging or stealing belongings.
- Verbal: threats or name-calling or insulting someone.
- Social: exclusion, spreading rumours, exclusion and sharing of information that could cause harm.
- Online harm: using technology to harm, including creating or sharing harmful information.
It is important to remember that this is not an extensive list. All forms of bullying and harmful behaviour should be taken seriously.
Changes in a young person’s behaviour can be a sign they are experiencing harm. Possible signs of harm should be considered alongside a child’s individual circumstances. The resource section on this website has more information on signs to look out for. The presence of one or more signs does not necessarily mean that a child is experiencing harm, and some children may display signs that are not listed.
There are free resources on this website to help you understand and recognise the signs of bullying and harmful behaviour and what steps you can take. Whether you're concerned that a child or young person may be experiencing harm or bullying others, want to support someone who is being harmed, or simply want to better understand the experiences of young people today, these resources can help.
- eSafety
- Bullying No Way
- Student Wellbeing Hub
- Dolly's Dream | Bullying Help and Support
- Bullying - Emerging Minds
- Resources - youcansitwithme
- Respectful relationships education toolkit: Overview
- Upstander Training Impact & Stories | The Stand-Up Project
- All Resources - Children & Young People with Disability Australia
- Be You | Resources
- Headspace School Support | Suicide Prevention Toolkit - a guide for secondary schools