Dáil is told how the cyberbullying crisis adds to teen suicide

IRELAND has the fourth highest rate of teenager suicide in Europe – and cyberbullying is adding to the crisis, the Dáil heard yesterday.

Online bullying is increasingly cited in the deaths of teenagers across Ireland, said Fianna Fáil TD James Browne of Wexford, adding it was a grave threat to young people.

Such online oppression ‘can lead to depression, anxiety, sleep-deprivation and the drastic decision by a young person to take his or her own life,’ he said.

‘Desperate children and distraught parents need help and the bullies need to be addressed. Young people need to be given hope, access to services and coping skills,’ Mr Browne said.

He asked what steps the Government was taking to address the menace of cyberbullying and the issue of young people taking their own lives.

Communications Minister Richard Bruton insisted there was ‘a whole-of-Government Response: Minister Bruton initiative on Internet safety,’ which he asserted was being led by the Department of the Taoiseach. ‘It involves strengthening criminal law and actions to improve the education supports for young people through schools and the website Webwise.’

Online supports were also being made available for people with mental health difficulties, where Junior Minister Jim Daly had been carrying out pioneering work, he said.

Late last month, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Dublin to demand a change to Ireland’s cyberbullying laws following the suicide of several young men.

It was organised by Clondalkin woman, Jackie Fox, whose 21-year-old daughter Nicole ‘Coco’ Fox Fenlon, committed suicide after suffering online harassment.

Nicole died in Tallaght Hospital in January.

Jackie told Dublin Live she was delighted with the turnout and the support shown by the public. She said: ‘I couldn’t ask for any better. It was a great turnout, everything went brilliant.

‘As we were walking up Henry Street, Mary Street, Capel Street and down the Quays, everyone stopped and were taking videos and pictures and giving the thumbs up and nodding the head. The support was brilliant.’

She said she hoped a law change would help others.

A Bill making cyberbullying an offence has now passed the first stage in the Dáil.

Now campaigners are calling on the Government to make digital safety classes compulsory from primary school. The current Social, Personal and Health Education curriculum was developed almost 20 years ago, in 1999.

Last month, a conference heard that parents and pupils are also cyberbullying teachers. The Psychological Society of Ireland, heard the study, Cyberbullying of Post-Primary Teachers by Pupils in Ireland, involved 577 secondary school teachers who said that the worst abuse can be from pupils and parents on WhatsApp groups, as well as social media sites where pupils ‘rate’ teachers in hurtful ways.

The study by Liam Challenor, Irene Connolly and James Norman found 9.5% of participant teachers reported they were bullied online, and another 15% were aware of another teacher being cyberbullied.

Mr Challenor, who also works at the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre at Dublin City University, said there were online supports for teachers, including tacklebullying.ie and antibullyingcentre.ie which offer help for students and teachers. Make it happen, Leo – Page 12

senan.molony@dailymail.ie

Bill passed first stage in Dáil