How do you define bullying? The generally accepted meaning is the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power.
2016 has been an important year in tackling the problem of bullying. The UK-based organisation called the Anti-Bullying Alliance had their most successful ever anti-bullying week campaign, Prince William spoke out against bullies on the first National Stand Up To Bullying Day and an Anti-Bullying Roadshow toured the UK.
However, figures released by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children found that there has been an alarming rise in the number of children who were admitted to hospital after self-harming - a staggering 18,778 children aged 11 to 18 in 2015/16.
These statistics show just how much work still needs to be done to combat bullying, especially in social media.
Children and teachers at Greengate Junior School in Barrow took on the subject in their Christmas show during the first week of December.
The 120 primary school children from 7-11 years-old performed a show which was based on the Roald Dahl story the BFG but adapted into a special version called the GFG (Greengate Friendly Giant). As well as being good fun, the production carried the message of overcoming the giants, who represented bullies.
The show was written and music composed by Paula Hillman and Cath Sadler. Mrs Hillman, deputy head of Greengate Junior School, said: "We had great fun with the show this year, it involved over half of the pupils in the school and we thought as this year would have been Roald Dahl's 100th birthday we would have some fun with his classic BFG.
"However, the show also carried an important message about anti-bullying. We put a great emphasis on anti-bullying messages in our school and each year we celebrate Anti-Bullying Week.
"We have a very important mentoring programme in the school, with 14 prefects from Year Six acting as accessible role models for the younger children. What we hope to achieve through this programme is that children always feel as if they have somebody looking out for them and people close to their own age who they can talk to about anything.
"We have also held assemblies led by representatives from the NSPCC and a charity called Kidsafe, who are fantastic.
"We realise there is a huge threat from cyber-bullying and we try to teach the children from an early age how to be responsible when they are online or on their devices."
During the show there were five scenes about giants from different literature, including the Cyclops, the Selfish Giant, Jack and the Beanstalk, Giants Causeway legend, Little John and the GFG.
As in the original version, the giants are defeated with the help of the Queen of England and her armies.
A choreographed dance-off between the giants and the soldiers to a Run DMC track was a highlight of the show and the pupils gave four performances in total, for parents and for two infant schools, Ramsden and Parkside GGI.
The three main characters were played by Year Six pupils Billy Bell, Courtney Turner and Reece Saywell who are all prefects in the Greengate mentor programme.
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How to recognise the signs of cyberbullying
Though a child or teen may be being bullied, they may not know that help is available or may feel too embarrassed to speak up. With the amount of time young people are spending on the Internet or on their phones, it is important to be able to spot the signs of cyberbullying. Seek some help if your child begins showing any of these signs:
-Becomes withdrawn or shy
-Shows signs of depression
-Is extremely moody or agitated
-Is anxious or overly stressed out
-Shows signs of aggressive behavior
-Suddenly stops using the computer
-Changes eating or sleeping habits
-No longer wants to participate in activities they once enjoyed
-Signs of self harm on the body
-Suddenly changes friends
-Doesn’t want to go to school
-Gets into trouble at school
-Skips school
-Loses interest in school
-Drops in grades
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