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What's the difference between bullying and teasing?

272 Answers
Last Updated: 06/11/2022 at 2:26pm
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Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
November 2nd, 2016 2:26pm
Teasing is almost consensual; there's some level of fun in it for both people involved and its a two way street. Bullying goes beyond that, sometimes one person intends to inflict some form pain on the other but often they just haven't reflected on the effect their words are having.
dxphne
March 28th, 2019 9:54am
Teasing is meant to be funny, even though it might go too far sometimes and hurt your feelings. Most of the time it's your friends who tease you and if you'd tell them to stop they most likely would, as it's not funny anymore at that point. Bullying is serious, it's not funny and goes way too far, in some situation it even gets physical. Most of the time it's not your friends who bully you and if you tell them to stop they'll continue cause they know it's bothering you. One of the signs of bullying is that they constantly pick on the same person and most of the time they have people who help them or laugh along with them. The biggest difference is just the seriousness, teasing is meant to be funny even though it doesn't always feel that way and bullying is straight up mean. People tease as a joke and will stop if they know it's seriously hurting you and people bully to make people feel bad, they'll continue if they know you get scared/hurt by their actions.
Anonymous
November 3rd, 2015 1:54am
by teasing someone both parties know that it's just a joke, in the middle of the joke or at the end of it. and none feel bad about the tease
kindTurtle1217
June 9th, 2019 1:33am
Bullying can be an ongoing and repetitive action, and it can be verbal, physical or emotional. Bullying is targeted, and the person who is bullying might be doing it because they have problems at home, or they aren’t in the best mindset, and they feel the need to let it out on someone weaker than them. Whereas someone who is teasing might be doing it for fun, or might think it is funny or “a joke”. Teasing can be a part of bullying, but they are two completely different things. Teasing between friends is like making jokes, or playing around.
adorableFreedom487
May 9th, 2020 4:37am
I think teasing is good-natured "ribbing". It is done with humor and not meant to hurt feelings. Bullying, on the other hand, I think is often cruel and uncaring. Teasing is usually brief whereas bullying doesn't stop when the "victim" asks it to be stopped. A teaser will often apologize and then move on from the teasing. A bully will often not stopped until stopped by the target or someone else. Good-natured teasing can be funny - especially if it's from an inside joke between the teaser and the "teas-ee". Bullying is something that should be avoided and if a person is being bullied, then should either report it, if possible.
Stillthebrighteststar
November 25th, 2020 1:59am
Bullying is when someone intentionally makes you feel bad repeatedly just for fun, laughs, or other reasons that are unjust, and often causes the victim physical harm, which often leads to mental harm. Teasing is when someone does something mean in spirit, but they don't always do it for prolonged periods of time. Most of the time, especially if it doesn't escalate into bullying, it doesn't normally end up as becoming something that becomes a problem mentally. The primary key to dealing with bullies, is to break their resolve before they break yours. After all, why would you continue to kick a brick wall if it clearly isn't made of foam?
Billy1617
November 21st, 2020 8:58pm
Bullying is using inflammatory and derogatory remarks to belittle the victim while teasing can be friendly and humor-based. Therefore, bullying must be stoped while teasing is a healthy interaction among acquaintances or friends. teasing is a type of communication: Many kids tease each other to bond or form relationships. When the best kid on a basketball team misses a dunk, and a teammate says, “Hey, Magic, nice shot,” they can both laugh it off. The teasing shows each other they can joke around and still be friends. meanwhile, bullying is to hurt communication: The tricky thing is that bullying may start out as teasing. But when it’s done over and over and is meant to be hurtful or threatening, it becomes bullying.
Anonymous
October 15th, 2020 12:11am
Teasing is in good faith or fun, where you know that the person doesn't intend to hurt you. Bullying is when someone hurts you, physcially or emotionally, to see you hurt or to make themselves feel better. For example, a friend teasing you may make fun of the time you slipped in the mud and got it all over your pants, while a bully will bring it up constantly or call you 'Mud-Boy' and make you feel bad about yourself. Another example is with appearance. Someone may tease you by saying 'Oh, you're so smart because you wear glasses' while a bully may say 'Look at this nerd, they think they're smart just because they have glasses'.
katherine081902
October 11th, 2020 9:00pm
Teasing is usually harmless and isn't repeated if you ask them to stop and tell them they hurt your feelings. People who tease can be friends and family members, even strangers sometimes, but it isn't intended to hurt you. Bullying is when someone messes with you verbally, emotionally, or physically for no reason and does it repeatedly, even when you ask or tell them to stop. Bullies are usually trying to boost their own self confidence by putting others down. Bullying should be reported immediately, ESPECIALLY if it is physical. Ways that I have used to cope with bullying that have worked are "killing with kindness," meaning that if they say something mean you compliment them, ignoring them works too. Bullies are trying to get a reaction, if you don't give them a reaction they eventually give up. In groups, if someone is saying something mean about you or to you, ignoring them or complimenting them will show the others in the group that the bully is being rude and you aren't reacting in a negative way so nothing can be pinned on you based on your reaction. For example: Sally and Sarah are in a group hangout, Sarah tells Sally she needs to dress better because she looks ugly, Sally can respond with "well guess what, YOU'RE ugly too!" or "thank you for the advice, but I like the way I dress already". Taking the high road is usually the best in those circumstances.
Anonymous
October 11th, 2020 3:03pm
The main difference between bullying and teasing is that bullying is done intentionally to harm someone whereas teasing may be either positive or negative. The main intention behind teasing may be having fun. What is Teasing? Teasing is a fun, playful and friendly way of making fun of your peers, without their feelings. Kids enjoy poking and joking about each other, they however often fail to avoid the thin line that divides them. Teasing is a normal way of life. It is a social exchange that is considered friendly, negative or neutral. There are several ways of teasing; verbally and taunting. Read more: Difference Between Teasing and Bullying | Difference Between http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-teasing-and-bullying/#ixzz6aZjTGHrv
calmingFriend2210
October 8th, 2020 2:35am
Teasing is little gestures of meanness. Where bullying can be something more severe. Teasing can come forth bullying. Since teasing can be a little thing at first it can really become bullying overtime. Teasing and bullying are still bad though. I recommended stopping teasing from the start so it doesn’t develop to bullying later on in the future. Bullying puts people down and occurs usually cause they have been bullied. Yea seeing is more of making fun of a person and are meant to be like a one or two time thing so that’s the silver lining. Though both are bad.
Anonymous
October 7th, 2020 1:31pm
Teasing is something where you should feel comfortable joking with the person back just as they do to you without being scared of physical or aggressive consequences on their behalf. Bullying is physical and the words being used are much harsher. Oftentimes you can tell the difference if someone is teasing rather than bullying if they are genuinely laughing when they are speaking to you, yes teasing can sometimes point to sensitive topics even though the person most likely doesn't intend to. If you feel uncomfortable you just have to let the person know that what they are saying or doing is not okay. Bullying on the other hand is much harsher, people would get seriously aggressive and the choice of the words that they use would be much harsher.
StayPositiveFriend
September 27th, 2020 3:52am
Teasing is typically understood to be non-malicious by both parties and it's typically between friends, siblings, partners or love interests. It may also be short-lived; making fun of something specific for a few minutes then moving on. Bullying is typically malicious and often happens over a much longer period. The bully has an intent to upset or hurt the person being bullied which can be traumatising for the victim. That being said, male friends sometimes reger to banter as bullying and different cultures sometimes use these words interchangeably, so the important thing to consider is the action itself, not the word. The malicious version should be stopped and addressed immediately.
Axolotlhugs
September 20th, 2020 11:08pm
The biggest difference to me is; "are we laughing with you or at you?" If you do not find the jokes funny it is bullying. There isn't a checklist as to what "jokes" are just teasing or hurtful so you will have to check in with yourself and see how it makes you feel. I try and remeber that not everyones communicating language is the same and so even if you feel that your friend is being mean, they might think it is just for fun, so I like to be honest and set boundaries with the person. Maybe they didn't realize it made you upset and so by keeping the communication honest we can all learn and become better at communicating.
Anonymous
June 11th, 2022 2:26pm
Teasing: to provoke and make fun of someone in a lighthearted, playful way Bullying: seeking to harm, intimidate, or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable The difference between the two is that a friend would tease you. An enemy would bully you. Teasing is lighthearted and somewhat fun. Bullying is mean and sometimes cold-hearted. Teasing could happen every now and then, but bullying is constant, repeated, and on purpose. Teasing and bullying are two completely different things. Cyber-bullying is also a thing, and bullying of any type should be reported immediately. Teasing is okay, though, as long as it doesn't step into bullying territory.
Anonymous
September 16th, 2020 5:23am
Bullying is done with the intent of purposely hurting others and causing emotional, mental, and physical stress on the victims daily life. This behavior can cause lasting trauma. It will often be negative and very serious. This behavior is often done knowing full well that the person does not care about your feelings and is doing this to make themselves feel better. Teasing is done jokingly with the person being teased aware that it is a light-hearted joke. Not intended to be serious or intentionally harmful. A bully will make no attempts to be positive or friendly toward you. Someone who teases you does not do it constantly.
Anonymous
September 8th, 2020 9:23pm
Difference between bullying and teasing right? Teasing means someone is saying or doing something just for fun they dnt want to hurt you or make you feel low like we tease our friends or siblings but when a person want you to feel bad or want to hurt you saying or doing something like making you fall down or laughing up on salary status is bullying there is a small line between two of them the difference is only the intentions teasing can be get worst but bullying will I guess you have understood what exactly is happening with you right?
HotChocolate2
June 21st, 2019 5:17pm
Teasing should never be hurtful. Friends who are close with each other can tease one another, as long as they stay within boundaries and don’t play on people’s insecurities. It’s best to reserve teasing for people you’re really close with, in my opinion. This may sound a bit extreme, but people you don’t know all that well will feel uncomfortable telling you when your words are hurtful instead of funny. That means you might become a bully without knowing it. When it comes to bullying, you never know how much your ‘joke’ will actually affect the other person. So always be mindful of what you’re saying, and don’t hesitate to let other people know when they go too far!
TakeMyHand13
June 21st, 2019 7:48pm
It's really more of a perspective kind of thing, I guess. Everyone thinks and feels differently about these things. For me personally, I consider teasing to be amongst friends or loved ones. A playfulness that has no true intention of being harmful or hurtful. However, bullying, in my view, includes purposefully being spiteful towards another person, with the intention of wanting to hurt, humiliate or belittle. If someone says something or does something to you that hurts your feelings, then maybe communicating that to the other person would help clear the air and get reassurance from them. If said person denies or rejects your hurt feelings then that, to me, is bullying. There's no respect there or compassion.
Anonymous
July 27th, 2019 11:14am
This can be a fine line in some cases, but intent and respect to stop when asked are two big signs for whether its bullying or not. To me teasing is something that both parties can laugh at, and isn't touching on any deep issues or insecurities. It's something that happens between friends casually, and if the friend accidentally is too harsh, they will stop and apologize immediately. Bullying is a joke that only the bullies laugh at, and is repeatingly targeting insecurities or differences about the other person. A bully won't stop when they realize they are hurting someones feelings.
Anonymous
April 15th, 2020 1:42pm
Bullying is differentiated from teasing because of intention. Those who bully actually intend to do harm, whereas teasing is supposed to be a ‘no harm’ game. There is a problem with this logic though is that if a child is being ‘teased’ and they don’t like it, the motivation of the teaser is irrelevant. The teasing has become bullying. They are victims of another person’s unkind behaviour toward them, however innocent. A child who is teased day after day, week after week, will eventually begin to become dispirited – or worse. Teasing can be as harmful as bullying, and while theoretically different, the two are easily perceived by a child to be exactly the same thing.
Anonymous
April 2nd, 2020 6:49am
Bullying can be the result of menace, when someone delibrately physically or mentally hurts someone and ridicules them, and doesn't stop when the victim gives verbal or non verbal clues that they are being hurt by their action. In bullying, the victim feels threatened and the exchange is not on a level ground, one person or group of people are in most cases repetitively taunted or assaulted. Teasing on the other hand is a playful and equal exchange between two people, and there is an established boundary. Remarks made are innocuous and don't refer to a person's sore spots, instead maybe an innocuous remark for example referkng to a stupid childhood crush or a silly anecdote.
Anonymous
April 11th, 2020 12:41pm
Teasing is fun, playful, and can strengthen a bond. You tease people you love and care about, people you have a crush on maybe, or a sibling. It's fun and is not meant to hurt a person. Bullying is a lot different. Bullying is meant to hurt. Taunting, name calling, harassment, sexual harassment, etc. With teasing the person will usually stop if you ask or if you seem like you're upset. It's not repeated and it should be fairly obvious. Bullying is repeated, it's meant to cause distress, and there is a power imbalance. If you think you're being bullied, reach out to someone you trust. If you think you're being the bully, stop doing what you're doing and apologize to the person you're causing distress. If you feel as if a close friend or family member is teasing too harshly, talk to them about it.
MonicaQu
April 11th, 2020 9:19pm
Bullying is something which people use who are insecure and feel good when others are put down. For example, bullying can cause problems such as depression and even suicide so it is something to take seriously. I guess teasing is something that isn't so big as bullying as it is something that you make fun of about someone's personality. It can be taken as a joke or seriously or even an offense depending on the person. Although both involve being care what leaves your mouth because both can hurt feelings. Teasing can also mean a sign of affection like when someone likes you things like that. I guess both are different because of the person behind who does it.
Mya000
April 12th, 2020 11:29am
The difference is that teasing is friendly and positive and bullying is harmful and negative. However, this question can be complicated to answer, because the limit can be difficult to perceive. We can notice that it is teasing when : -It takes place between two people with a solid bond and for whom teasing is an affectionate game. -The person who teases does it with a smile and a happy atmosphere (and not aggressively). -The person who is teased does not seem to suffer from it. We can notice that teasing becomes bullying when : -Teasing and affectionate remarks slip into hostile remarks. -The balance of power is unequal : the one who teases has more power than the person who is teased. -The teasing is repetitive. -The person who teases seeks to injure or offend the other. -The person who is teased is hurt or afflicted by these comments.
StoryIsntOverYet
August 19th, 2020 10:21pm
Teasing is usually between two people that have an established friendship and understanding and is typically playful joking that isn’t meant to harm them or hurt their feelings. Bullying comes solely from a place of intentionally negatively affecting somebody for their own cruel amusement usually due to having personal issues themselves and feeling the need to cause others to have issues as well especially if a person has something they don’t for example being happy or liked. One is a light hearted joke formed from friendship and understanding and a the other is harmful formed from malicious intent.
Anonymous
August 6th, 2020 3:18pm
Teashing is a way for people to communicate with each other. It’s like a social exchange. Many kids tease one a other to bond or form a strong relationships. Verbal bullying is different from teasing. It’s not done to make friends, or to relate to someone. Just the opposite: The goal is to embarrass the person being bullied and make the person who is bullying look better and stronger. The tricky thing is that bullying may start out as teasing. But when it’s done over it is meant to be hurtful or threatening, and that's what we call bullying.
AnthonyNW29
June 21st, 2020 1:33pm
There is a very fine line between the two - sometimes teasing is harmless and playful. Other times it can be used to hurt others. And even playful teasing can hit raw nerves or be misinterpreted, especially if struggle with social skills. Essentially teasing is a type of communication, good-natured teasing is a way for people to communicate with each other. It’s a social exchange. Bullying on the other hand is intentionally geared to hurt the person it is aimed at, it can either be as a deflection of insecurities from the attacker to the intended or it can develop as a result of good-natured teasing going 'one step too far'.
CheerfulCheese
May 31st, 2020 2:47am
Bullying is ongoing, while teasing is just making a friendly joke one or two times. When a person is being mean to another person they might tell them to stop. If they don't stop after the targeted person already told them to more than once, that is bullying. Teasing, however is just like joking around. Person A might make a joke about Person B's clothing, for example. Then Person B might stop the next day. This is teasing. So in conclusion, bullying is when the targeted person is being harmed even after they told the mean person to stop. Hope this helps! :)
charmingUnicorns51
April 26th, 2020 9:56am
The difference between bullying and teasing is that when someone teases you, it is often in a friendship or some sort of relationship where they truly mean no harm, will stop when it is asked for them to stop, and normally it's supposed to be funny, bullying is a repetitive action where they physically harm you or intimidate you or insult you in a way that attacks who you are as a person and they don't stop when you ask them to. Bullying truly takes things to the extreme and it very hateful and is intended to do harm to the victim.