16 November 2009
Primary school children are becoming victims
of cyberbullying, and we need to help them protect themselves,
according to new research released today (Monday 16th
November) by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), based at NCB.
A survey* by ABA unveiled for the start of
Anti Bullying Week 2009, revealed that one in five
(20.5%) of Year 6 primary school pupils surveyed
(aged 10 or 11) had been cyberbullied in the past 12 months,
The study also showed 22%
of Year 6 pupils did not know how to protect themselves against
cyberbullying, and 18% of the 10 and 11 year olds
surveyed, have been cyberbullied whilst at home.
More than one third (39%)
were ‘not sure’ if a parent had ever talked to them about
cyberbullying, and the vast majority (61%) said
they thought a good way of stopping it would be for parents or
carers to know how to deal with it.
The primary school survey showed that
40% of 10 and 11 year olds used social networking
sites ‘sometimes’ and 19% used them ‘a lot’,
despite most social networking sites specifying that users need to
be 13 or over.
ABA, which is a coalition of more than 60
organisations, runs national Anti-Bullying Week, which starts today
(16th November). This year’s theme is tackling
cyberbullying, under the slogan ‘Stay Safe in Cyberspace’.
Today, the charity is highlighting the fact that cyberbullying can
happen 24 hours a day, whenever a computer or mobile phone is
switched on, meaning children and young people may have no
escape.
ABA Chair, Christopher Cloke,
said: “Parents and schools need to be aware that
cyberbullying is affecting younger age groups as more children get
mobile phones and have computer access.
“Nationally we know that around 22% of
secondary school pupils have suffered cyberbullying, but until now
we did not know younger age groups were also seriously affected. It
is crucial that we ensure they know how to stay safe online, and
that their parents know how to help them. Clearly more research is
needed on this emerging issue.”
A further poll of parents of 8-14 year olds
for ABA by BMRB** showed that 89% believe
cyberbullying is just as serious as other types of bullying, but
the majority (54%) had not talked to their child
about how they could protect themselves, or deal with
cyberbullying, and 45% didn’t know about the
‘report abuse’ option on social networking sites.
And of the 1163 parents polled,
23% said they allowed children aged 10 or under
unsupervised Internet access to a computer at home. A total
of 38% of parents had allowed children aged 10 or
under to have their own mobile phone.
ABA has offered parents the following tips
to help parents protect children/young people and for children and
young people themselves.
For Parents
- Know which websites your children visit
and help them find the ‘report abuse’ or ‘block sender’ options so
they can feel in control
- Tell your children not to reply to unpleasant messages
- Urge them to keep evidence – not to delete bullying texts,
emails or posts on social networking sites
- Make sure they act thoughtfully in cyberspace – comments
and photos can stay online forever and texts can be forwarded
widely
- Ensure they protect their password to keep their files and
information safe
- Encourage them to take action and talk to you if they are
cyberbullied
For children and young
people
- Don’t give out personal details such as your
mobile number, address or email online
- Regularly check and clean your ‘friends’ lists on social
networking sites
- Keep evidence - callers and mailers can be traced
- Find the ‘report abuse’ or ‘block sender’ options on your
favourite websites
- Remember that sites you’ve created and emails you’ve sent can
be traced back to you months or years later
- Protect your password to keep your files and information
safe
- If you are being bullied in any way you must tell someone who
can help – a teacher, parent/carer, friend, sister/brother or other
relative.
* ABA survey of 227 10 and 11 year
olds (Year 6 primary school children) conducted October 2009.
**Research conducted by BMRB for ABA during
October 2009, of 1163 parents of children aged 8-14 in England.
For further information on ABA and Anti-Bullying Week 2009 please
contact:
Anna Tombs, ABA Communications
Officer
0207 843 6045
07595 781 751
atombs@ncb.org.uk
Frances Perrow, 07779 788 018