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Bullying prevention remains a major focus for schools yet prevention programs have yielded limited efficacy. This suggests that efforts to make the programs more salient for youth may result in greater reductions in bullying behavior.

To inform the development of a text messaging-based bullying prevention program for middle school youth, we conducted two online, asynchronous focus groups with 37 youth in grades 6–8. Youth were recruited across the United States using an online panel. Topics and questions were posted twice-daily across three days; youth responded when convenient.

Findings suggested: (a) When asked, many youth provided definitions of bullying that were simliar to the CDC's definition (e.g., differential power). At times, these did not align with their school's definition, however. (b) Youth said those who were ‘different’, quiet, or unpopular were more likely to be …