Bullying Prevention Tips
In partnership with the International Bullying Prevention Association, we’ve developed resources to guide how to handle bullying situations, whether you’ve been bullied, witnessed it or want to know how to prevent it.
Bullying Prevention For Youth
No matter your age, you can play an important role in bullying prevention. Use these strategies to stop or prevent bullying from happening:
- Be inclusive. Encourage people that it’s okay to talk about their differences. Speak up and stand in solidarity when you see someone being bullied
- Don’t respond to online messages. Do not engage or forward hurtful messages to other people
- Tell a trusted adult. If you witness bullying, tell someone at home or school so an adult is aware of the incident
- Interrupt the bullying. Calmly tell the aggressor to stop without putting yourself or others in danger and seek help from an adult
Bullying Prevention For Caregivers
Bullying prevention starts with talking to your child about their online behavior. Encourage them to talk to you whenever an incident occurs and listen to them so they know they can share it with you.
Create online rules with your child so they have input and are more likely to respect them. You can also set boundaries with your child by using parental controls and monitoring their online activity. At Meta, we're continuing to invest in supervision tools designed to support caregivers and teens in VR and on Instagram.
If your child discloses they’re being bullied, take the incident seriously. Online and physical bullying can have lasting effects. Respond calmly and assure them you are there to help.
Bullying Prevention For Educators
It takes being proactive to stop bullying from happening in your classroom. Make it clear to students and caregivers that bullying is unacceptable and that there are consequences. Regularly share your school policies on bullying, weave the topic into discussions and make it a part of assignments to remind your students that the policies exist to protect their well-being.
Prioritize Physical Safety
If you witness bullying, the top priority is physical safety. You should not step between the person who is bullying and the one being bullied. Instead, seek help immediately. If the bullying is verbal, you can stand between the one bullying and the target to break eye contact and help diffuse the situation.
Show Support
If you see someone who is being bullied, there are several ways you can show support, even if you are not able to intervene and prevent the bullying. In addition to encouraging the person who is being bullied to seek help, you can:
- Let them know you’re their friend. Ask them how you can help and if they want you to help them find someone to talk to
- Send messages to show you care and have empathy for their situation. You can lead by example by posting positive comments and encouraging others to do the same
- Join others who are supporting the person being bullied
Another way to show support for anyone being bullied is to delete your negative messages online. Ask yourself if what you’ve posted reinforces stereotypes or causes hurt. If you are unsure, it likely shouldn’t be posted or should be taken down.
Addressing bullying and harassment at Meta
We take bullying and harassment seriously. We're creating new detection tools and revising policies with expert help to continually tackle the issue. We have teams reviewing reports of bullying and harassment 24/7 in more than 50 languages. If you see this type of abusive content, report it immediately.
