For many, phones create living hell

MANY CHILDREN ARE VICTIMS OF CYBER BULLIES

WE are rarely without our mobiles, but new statistics released for AntiBullying Week show that for victims of cyber-bullying the freedom of a phone can quickly turn into a nightmare.

Childline delivered 5,103 cyberbullying counselling sessions in 2016-17 to victims as young as nine, who struggled to cope with abuse from online tormentors, the NSPCC announced today.

This was a 12% increase from the previous year, where 4,521 were given.

Cyber-bullying includes vicious name-calling, false rumours, death threats, pictures and publicly posted blackmail on social media and blogs.

Teenage girls and those aged 12-15 are most at risk, with 50% of Childline counselling sessions given to young people in this bracket.

One girl, aged 14, said: “I am being bullied by a girl at school.

“She has taken photos of me and posted them on Snapchat calling me fat and ugly, and how I will never have a boyfriend.

“I have been having suicidal thoughts as this girl is really popular and she has turned my whole year against me.”

Young people cannot switch off from online abuse at home as social media is available at any time.

They may develop low self-esteem, depression, self-harming and suicidal thoughts.

A boy told Childline: “I am being bullied on social media by people who call me fat and ugly.

“I can’t block them because then they’ll just bully me even more at school.

“I don’t want to talk to my teachers about it, I just feel like giving up.

“I’ve been self harming to cope but I just want to stop feeling this way.”

You can make a small donation to support the campaign by sending a simple text message to 70755.

Dame Esther Rantzen, Founder and President of Childline, said: “Young people these days rely upon their mobile phones and social media to keep in touch with their friends, but inevitably that makes it easier for bullies to pursue their victims relentlessly.

“Whether bullying occurs online or in person it can have a devastating impact on a young person, destroying their confidence and leaving them vulnerable.”

The NSPCC are campaigning to create a social media rulebook enshrined in law to protect children from online abuse.

This includes letting young people flag bullying behaviour to moderators, having strict privacy settings by default, specially trained child safety moderators and clear reporting processes for online abuse.

This week is also Anti-Bullying Week, which through the theme ‘All Different, All Equal’ wants to empower by celebrating what makes all children and young people unique.

Martha Evans, National Coordinator of the Anti-Bullying Alliance which runs Anti-Bullying Week, said: “These worrying statistics from the NSPCC show what an important issue cyberbullying is for young people today.

“We should all be doing more, including social media companies, government, schools, parents and anti-bullying charities, to spread the message online as well.”