This factsheet is a general guide only. It is not legal advice. Call the Legal Helpline on 1300 366 424 or text using Legal Chat via lsc.sa.gov.au for confidential advice about your situation.
Bullying is repeated conduct intended to cause physical or emotional harm.
Bullying can be face-to-face, online or via personal devices. Bullying may be obvious or it may be hidden.
Bullying can happen anywhere. Anyone can be a bully, including a teacher, friend or family member.
Bullying is never okay. Some types of bullying are illegal. This can include bullying via the internet, social media or a device.
Bullying may be a crime if someone:
It can be a crime to use a mobile phone or the internet to threaten or harass you, or to share (or threaten to share) sexually explicit images or films of you without your consent.
Schools must try to stop bullying and make you feel safe. Public schools must have an anti-bullying plan in place to deal with bullying.
If you are being bullied at school or outside school, tell someone what is happening. You can complain to your school by meeting with the principal. Ask someone you trust to come with you, especially if you are scared or worried about it.
Your school should work with you to make a plan to stop the bullying. Your school should still be able to help you even if the bullying happens after school or online. If you have spoken to the principal and you are not happy with their response, you can complain. Call the Legal Helpline for more.
Telling someone you trust that you are being bullied is important. You may wish to speak with a friend, family member, teacher, or another trusted adult.
If you want to speak to someone else, these services can help:
The eSafety Commissioner has a complaint scheme for children and young people experiencing serious bullying online. They can help remove cyber bullying content from social media or a website.
The eSafety Commissioner can also issue fines and penalties to online services and platforms that do not remove content.
To report harmful content online or find out more, visit esafety.gov.au.
You can call the police if someone hurts you, threatens to hurt you, or damages or steals your things. The police may charge the bully with a criminal offence or may caution them by warning them not to bully again.
Keep any proof you have of the bullying like texts, voicemails or screenshots of webpages carefully saved and backed up. The contact details of the person who is bullying you will also be helpful if you decide to report the bullying to police.
May 2026
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