74 According to the Annual Bullying Survey 2020 by Ditch the Label, half of those bullied felt they were targeted because of attitudes towards their physical appearance. Most social media platforms have a block and a report function, so you can block and report the offending users. BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING Teenagers need to explore their own limits and abilities, as well as the boundaries set. They need to express their strong personal values, but these may be misinterpreted and lead to bullying. Definition Bullying is aggressive behaviour among young people that is repeated, or that has the potential to be repeated, over time . Both bullies and those who are bullied may have serious, lasting problems. Where and when? Bullying can occur during or after school hours. While most reported bullying happens in the school building, a significant percentage also happens in public places. It can also happen travelling to or from school, in the teenager s neighbourhood, or on the Internet. This is linked to the so-called online reputation which may play a part in big decisions about someone s future, for example when applying for a job. abusive: ingiurioso to blackmail: ricattare boundary: limite gum shield: paragengive imbalance: squilibrio lasting: duraturo mean: meschino name-calling: insulto rumour: diceria to taunt: provocare to tease: prendere in giro threat: minaccia 152 ADOLESCENTS Characteristics In order to be considered bullying, the behaviour must be aggressive and include an imbalance of power (such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity) to control or harm others, and repetition. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumours, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Types of bullying Bullying may be: verbal, when it implies saying or writing mean things like teasing, name-calling, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, or threatening to cause harm; social, when it involves harming someone s reputation or relationships and includes leaving someone out on purpose, telling other teens not to be friends with someone, spreading rumours about someone, or embarrassing someone in public; physical, if it involves hurting a person s body or possessions, and includes hitting, kicking, or taking or breaking someone s things. Cyberbullying Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices where people can view, participate in, or share content. It includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, or false content about someone else, and also sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. In 2017 in Italy a law against cyberbullying was passed. The law makes it illegal to post insults or abusive messages against a minor online, blackmail them on the Internet, or steal their identities. Victims of cyberbullying now have the right to demand that websites hosting abusive content remove it within 48 hours.