Quote

I have a problem with bullying.

Bullying is a national epidemic.

I haven't personally experienced bullying, but when I was in high school, I had a best friend who became a bully. I took a stand and took it upon myself to separate from her. I couldn't be associated with her because it wasn't the type of person I wanted to be.

I've been actually really very pleased to see how much awareness was raised around bullying, and how deeply it affects everyone. You know, you don't have to be the loser kid in high school to be bullied. Bullying and being picked on comes in so many different forms.

If we're going to make a real dent in the bullying issue, we're going to have to address the bullies themselves: find ways to help empower them that don't include allowing them to be predators or to simply be punished.

There are different types of bullying; one of the biggest ones out there right now is cyberbullying. I had the privilege of filming an 'Austin & Ally' episode centered on cyberbullying, how it can get out of control, the ups and downs that you feel, and how to deal with it.

Bullying is killing our kids. Being different is killing our kids and the kids who are bullying are dying inside. We have to save our kids whether they are bullied or they are bullying. They are all in pain.

I don't know that there's any rhyme or reason to bullying... it's not even the bully's fault, which is why it's such a difficult thing to combat.

I realized that bullying never has to do with you. It's the bully who's insecure.

I don't know that there's more bullying or whether it's just more talked about. It seems to me that possibly that there's been a lot of bullying all the time, but at the moment, it's something that people are talking about.