Bullying is the repeated psychological or physical persecution that is commonly, but not always, inflicted upon a weaker person by a stronger individual and always includes the intent to harm the victim. Bullying among schoolchildren is fairly common; in some studies, about half of the children were bullies, and more than half were victims. Males bully more than females, yet both boys and girls are bullied in almost equal numbers. Bullies are typically aggressive, tough, assertive, physically intimidating, and impulsive. Victims are typically seen as “unpopular”, lonely, different than others, not belonging to the school community, shy, introverted, depressed, and lacking in self-esteem. Bullying is more likely to occur in settings and at times when adult oversight and monitoring are limited. Between bullying and violent crime committed in the future, there exists a strong positive correlation because there is continuity between aggression in childhood and later crime/delinquency.

Being bullied has profound psychosocial implications. Bullying victims experience higher rates of stress, suicidal ideation, and feelings of loneliness. Peer harassment is linked to worse grades, dissatisfaction with school, and truancy. Furthermore, when compared to those who were not bullied as children or adolescents, youth who were victimized as children or adolescents have higher rates of violence-related behaviors. Studies show that young people who were bullied regularly during middle adolescence had worse self-esteem and more depressive symptoms as adults than those who were not bullied. As a result, victimization has significant psychosocial consequences throughout adolescence and early adulthood. In addition, the act of bullying not only harms the victim but also, in many ways, the bystander.