Figures published by the NSPCC’s Childline show that the charity counselled 4,541 children about cyber-bullying in 2015/16 compared to 2,410 in 2011/12.
In a quarter of the sessions the youngsters also talked about mental health and wellbeing issues, including low self-esteem, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and depression.
The Childline report, entitled What Children are Telling Us About Bullying, was released at the start of Anti-Bullying Week, which encourages children, teachers and parents to take action against bullying throughout the year. Coordinated by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, Anti-Bullying Week took place last week (November 14 to 18).
Childline’s research found that bullying was the second most common reason for boys and the third most common reason for girls to contact the charity. Peer pressure is the top bullying concern for 12 to 15-year-olds while online bullying is top for 16 to 18-year-olds.
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