Have you ever considered what bullying is, and what bullying is not?
In Ireland, the Department of Education’s definition of bullying is “Unwanted negative behaviour, verbal, psychological or physical, conducted by an individual or group against another person (or persons) and which is repeated over time.”
Therefore there are 3 important flags to watch out for in defining behaviour as bullying behaviour, namely…
1. There must be INTENT (DELIBERATE)
2. There must be an IMBALANCE OF POWER
3. It must be REPEATED OVER TIME
However there is an exception in that it is deemed a cyber-bullying offence, if a child is bullied just once, via an open social media platform; where hurtful information or images can be reshared.
I hope you found this post helpful and that you feel confident in defining what bullying is and what bullying is not.
Le grà,
Mindfully Marie xx
Create Space 
October 19, 2019 at 8:37 pm
great to clarify the definition … and we need to stay aware of the viral capacity of cyber bullying!
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 19, 2019 at 9:38 pm
Thanks Kate, a simple definition means there can be no doubt in confirming if any negative behaviour is or is not bullying.
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 19, 2019 at 10:36 pm
well said Marie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 21, 2019 at 3:58 pm
Thanks for sharing this information Marie. It’s helpful to know what falls under the category or bullying. As you said, having a simple definition leaves no doubt as to whether a behavior is bullying or not. Hope you’re doing well sweet friend. Blessings to you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 22, 2019 at 9:17 pm
Thanks Terri, it’s good to know you find it helpful, hopefully others will too. We are all good thanks. Many blessings in return!
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 21, 2019 at 4:12 pm
Its so true that a hurtful post even done once by the author is considered bullying because it can be shared and reposted many times..
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 22, 2019 at 9:19 pm
Thanks Mich! Social media in the wrong hands is a deadly weapon and not easy to stop or repair the damage.
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 25, 2019 at 5:01 pm
That’s interesting that the definition applies only to repeated acts, Marie. I think the impact can be negative even if just happening one time. Bullying is terrible, I remember being verbally taunted as a girl by a particular girl 😦 Thanks for educating others on this issue. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 25, 2019 at 6:09 pm
Thank you Christy for visiting and sharing your thoughts on this post. I totally agree that even one bullying event is enough to cause lasting emotional and psychological damage. I imagine it would be very difficult to prove and deal with every single incidence of bullying but I’m glad that even a single cyber bullying incident is treated as bullying. Bullying silences its victims. I want to break that silence and give a voice to victims! Le grà, Marie xx
LikeLike
October 26, 2019 at 10:34 pm
Social media as a platform for bullying is a horrible thing. It makes me angry and very sad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 27, 2019 at 12:17 pm
It is wide open to abuse and people are keyboard bullies, picking on innocent victims and trying to gain likes and followers to feed their low self esteem and unconscious or sometimes conscious weaknesses. I can’t understand why schools don’t set strong boundaries and stick to them, such as no phones allowed during school hours. Au revoir Brenda et merci beaucoup! Xx
LikeLike
December 3, 2019 at 10:04 am
Cyberbullying is something my generation never had to deal with. Kids today get a double dose of that nastiness, at school and home. There are many ‘keyboard warriors’ out there who feel entitled to berate and belittle, something they would never do in person. Such a shame. 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 3, 2019 at 10:30 pm
Thank you Mark for reading and joining in the conversation! Cyberbullying is particularly difficult to deal with as ‘keyboard warriors’ can hide behind false profiles and one negative post can do untold damage being shared and reshared so quickly. Parents and teachers need to be very aware of the damage that cyberbullying can cause and children should be educated and aware of safe use of the internet.
LikeLiked by 1 person