What to do if you witness bullying. Provides responses for all types of bullying and what to do if the bully turns on you.

1. A guide for bystanders from
Jennifer Hancock
author of
The Bully Vaccine

2. Why you
must act
Bully’s bully because it
works. In order to get
bullying to stop, the
bully needs to receive a
negative consequence
every time they bully.
Victims are often unable
to stand up for
themselves which
means someone needs
to stand up for them and
it might as well be you.
You will be glad you did.

3. What to do
about teasing
Look the bully straight
in the eye and calmly
tell them to stop. Tell
them what the said
isn’t nice and they
should apologize.
Do this every time you
witness teasing.
No exceptions.

4. What to do
about exclusion
Social rejection is one of
the most harmful forms
of bullying.
If you witness someone
being excluded, actively
and publicly step in to
include them, even if
this means you will be
excluded too.
You don’t want to be
friends with mean kids
anyway, and you may
just give courage to
others to stand up for
others as well.

5. What to do about
Cyber Bullying
Respond on behalf of others by
calmly defending the victim.
Simply saying, “that’s not true.”
Or “You are being mean. Stop.” is
sufficient. You only need to post
a simple response once per
incidence.
Don’t get into a flame war with a
cyber bully.
If they turn on you, don’t
respond.
If they are threatening violence
or encouraging the victim to
commit suicide, take a screen
shot and report them.

6. What to do
about threats
Look the bully straight in the
eye and calmly tell them to
stop. Tell them their
behavior isn’t acceptable and
that if they act on their
threat you will report them.
If the bully continues their
threats or acts on their
threats or turns on you
report them. If you think
the treat is serious or you
overhear someone plotting
to hurt another person,
report them immediately.
Do this every time you
witness someone
threatening another person.
No exceptions.

7. What to do
about violence
If you witness
violence against
another student,
find an adult
immediately and
ask them to
intervene.
No exceptions.

8. What to expect
from the Bully
Expect the bully to turn on
you. They may threaten
you or resort to name-
calling.
If they do, respond
appropriately and show
them they do not
intimidate you.
Don’t tolerate their bad
behavior ever. Keep
reporting them. It is the
only way to get them to
stop.

9. Crime and
Punishment
In order to get bullying
to stop, the bully needs
to receive a negative
consequence every
single time they engage
in undesirable behavior.
You are doing the bully a
favor by reporting them
because the
consequences they
receive help them to
learn more pro-social
behavior.

10. Be Consistent
Speak Up
Getting a bully to stop is a
process that takes time. The
key to getting them to stop is to
be consistent.
Respond to every incidence of
bullying every time. No
exceptions.
In order to get a bully the cost
of bullying must outweigh the
benefits. You do that by
expressing the socially
unacceptable nature of their
bad behavior and making sure
their bad behavior results in
referrals.
Peer pressure works wonders.
Use that power for good.

11. http://thebullyvaccine.com