One in five children are victims of cyber bullies

NEARLY one in five pupils in Scotland has been bullied online, figures show.

Of more than 4,300 young Scots surveyed, 18 per cent said they had experienced cyberbullying while 11 per cent reported cyberbullying others.

The findings were part of a study, which looked at bullying among adolescents from 44 countries and regions, including England, Wales and Scotland.

The Health Behaviour in Schoolaged Children (HBSC) survey took in more than 279,000 people aged 11, 13 and 15 in 2021/22.

It suggests the proportion of adolescents who reported being cyberbullied has increased since 2018, from 12 per cent to 15 per cent for boys and 13 per cent to 16 per cent for girls.

On average, across all the particito pating countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada, around one in eight (12 per cent) adolescents reported cyberbullying others at least once or twice in the past couple of months.

The report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) regional office for Europe said there was an ‘urgent need’ to educate children, families and schools about cyberbullying as it is now a ‘dominant form of peer violence’ among young people.

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said: ‘As young people’s social engagement switched to the online environment during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, so it appears that perpetration and experience of cyberbullying increased.

‘Focusing on virtual types of peer violence is now an urgent priority safeguard the health and wellbeing of populations of adolescents and young people, and cyberbullying must be viewed as a major issue for societies.

‘With young people spending up to six hours online every single day, even small changes in the rates of bullying and violence can have profound implications for the health and wellbeing of thousands.

‘From self-harm to suicide, we have seen how cyberbullying in all its forms can devastate the lives of young people and their families.’

Dr Joanna Inchley, international coordinator of the HBSC study, said: ‘It’s crucial for governments, schools and families to collaborate on addressing online risks.’

Sarah Hannafin of the school leaders’ union NAHT said: ‘These figures are a real concern, and while schools work hard to help keep pupils safe, online bullying can take place anywhere at any time.

‘Schools alone cannot tackle the issue and the Government must ensure the Online Safety Act is implemented swiftly and properly enforced, while social media platforms must do much more to provide a safe online environment.’

In England, where more than 4,200 young people were surveyed, nearly one in five (19 per cent) reported being cyberbullied at least once or twice in the past couple of months, and 11 per cent reported cyberbullying others.

A UK Government spokesman said: ‘The Online Safety Act will make the UK the safest place in the world for children to be online, requiring companies to take robust action to protect children from harmful content, illegal activity and abuse – including keeping children safe from bullying.

‘Companies that do not comply can face fines of up to 10 per cent of their global annual revenue, potentially up to billions of pounds.’

‘A dominant form of peer violence’