Face-to-face bullying for kids still a pain
Online abuse an additional tactic rather than main attack – UK study
CHILDREN suffer significantly more face-to-face bullying than online abuse, a major study has found. The research shows that despite the growth of social media and the internet, physical bullying is still more common than its digital equivalent.
In the largest study of its kind, more than 110 000 15-year-olds across England were questioned by researchers.
They found less than 1% of children are bullied solely on the internet. By contrast, more than 27% said they were bullied only face-to-face.
In the study, published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, researchers said cyber-bullying is an additional tactic in a bully’s arsenal rather than a primary method of victimising others at school. They recommend that parents and teachers tackle both digital and physical bullying rather than focusing on one form.
Lead author Dr Andrew Przybylski, of Oxford University, said: “Despite common perceptions and the growth of the online world for teenagers, our study finds that cyber-bullying, on its own, is relatively rare. “Cyber-bullying is best understood as a new avenue to victimise those already being bullied in traditional ways, rather than a way to pick on new victims.”
The study used confidential questionnaires to assess bullying and mental well-being over a two-month period.
Teenagers were asked to rate how often they faced certain types of bullying. These were broken down into categories, such as name-calling and being excluded, as well as forms of cyber-bullying including being sent abusive messages online. Nearly 30% reported experiencing some form of bullying at least twice a month. The toll of being subject to physical and virtual bullying at the same time was also revealed, with those who faced both forms five times more likely to report the lowest levels of mental well-being.