New research shows that teaching and empowering bystanders to act appropriately in bullying situations is one of the keys to stopping bullying in schools. When bystanders know how to respond appropriately and safely, they take away the bully’s power. “If the status quo at any school is that children observe bullying behavior in others and do nothing about it, then they end up tacitly giving their support to the bully.”

When the bystanders take away their support, they take away the bullies’ power. Bullies like an audience. If the audience shows disapproval, bullies are discouraged from continuing.

Teaching the bystander what to do and how to do it safely for their age group is imperative. It teaches them that they do have the power to address injustice safely and keep their environment safe, creating a sense of assurance. Many bystanders want to intervene but don’t know how to do it without ending up having the bully’s actions redirected to them. Empowering . . . bystander[s] is really about bridging the gap between what [they] believe is right and what they actually do.

Source: Great Schools