Cyber bullies taking high toll on our kids

Kids under 16 accounted for more than three quarters of all cyber-bullying complaints logged with the e-safety watchdog last year with more than 500 children aged 13 reporting that they had been bullied online.

Statistics reveal 1855 kids under 16 experienced cyberbullying harmful enough to be reported to the eSafety Commission in 2023.

The most common form of abuse was people experiencing “nasty comments” or “serious name calling,” followed by “offensive/upsetting pictures and/or videos”.

Kids are also reporting “fake accounts and impersonations,” “threats of violence,” and even “unwanted contact”.

While the eSafety Commissioner can investigate complaints, its powers for punishing those responsible are limited.

If messages people report to the watchdog breach online safety laws, the eSafety Commission can “tell the person who sent or shared it to say sorry and not to do it again.

Last year 77.6 per cent of all valid cyber-bullying complaints reported to the watchdog concerned kids under 16.

The majority of those complaints related to kids aged 13, 14, or 15. Thirteen year olds accounted for more than 20 per cent of all cyber-bullying complaints received by the eSafety Commission last year.

Almost 15 per cent of cyberbullying complaints last year came from 15 year olds.

The statistics come amid calls for the government to crack down on kids’ use of social media, in the wake of tragic stories of children being bullied online.