Bullying: Purposefully mean behavior that is usually repeated. The person being targeted often has a hard time defending themselves.

Cyberbullying: Bullying that happens online or through using digital devices

Harassment: A more general term than bullying that can take many forms – pestering, annoying, intimidating, humiliating, etc. – and can happen online too

Conflict: An argument or disagreement that isn’t necessarily repeated

Aggressor: The person doing the harassing or bullying; though sometimes called the “bully,” bullying prevention experts advise never to label people as such.

Target: The person being bullied or victimized

Bystander: A witness to harassment or bullying who recognizes the situation but chooses not to intervene

Upstander: A witness to harassment or bullying who supports the target privately or publicly, sometimes including trying to stop and/or report the incident they witnessed

Amplify: To increase or widen participation or impact

Exclusion: A form of harassment or bullying used online and offline; often referred to as “social exclusion”

Block: A way to end all interaction with another person online, preventing them from accessing your profile, sending you messages, seeing your posts, etc., without notifying them (not always ideal in bullying situations where the target wants to know what the aggressor is saying or when the bullying has stopped)

Mute: Less final than blocking, muting is a way to stop seeing another person’s posts, comments, etc., in your social media feed when that communication gets annoying – without notifying that person or being muted from their feed (not helpful in bullying)

Anonymous: An unnamed or unknown person – someone online whose name or identity you don’t know

Trolling: Posting or commenting online in a way that is deliberately cruel, offensive, or provocative

Report abuse: Using a social media service’s online tools or system to report harassment, bullying, threats, and other harmful content that typically violates the service’s terms of service or community standards