Depending on the situation, and how serious the bullying is, you might first want to talk to your friend and ask why they are doing this:

• Is anything bad happening to them at home or in some other aspect of their life?
• Could someone be bullying your friend, which is why they've become a bully themselves?
• Have they thought about what the person they are bullying is probably feeling?

What can you do?

Most importantly - the bullying must stop. If you think your friend will listen, encourage them to talk to someone:

• their parents or another adult they can trust
• a teacher
• a professional in confidence at ChildLine on 0800 1111 - they won't have to give their name so if they're worried about owning up to what they've been doing, you can tell them not to worry
• they can also contact a specialist charity such as Beatbullying which has a CyberMentor scheme (see below for details).

If you don't think they'll listen to you, you could talk to someone yourself.

Report it

If you think it's getting really bad and they're being violent or abusive to someone, perhaps you feel you need to report it, even if you know your friend will get into a bit of trouble. It's better that they get into trouble now, before things get worse and someone ends up hurt.

• Your teacher should be the first person to speak to, but also consider contacting your Safer Schools Officer. Most types of bullying aren't normally a matter for police unless someone is hurt or a crime is committed. But one of the jobs of the Safer Schools Officers is to help teachers prevent bullying so they will want to know what's going on. Find out how to contact your Safer School Officer here.
• If you would prefer to speak to the police contact your local police station or Safer Neighbourhoods Team - if it's an emergency and someone is in immediate danger call 999.