Tuesday, November 17, 2015

UK Cyber Bullying - first survey by government - 15 percent of all girls



The first UK government figures on cyberbullying show that 11 percent of students in year 10 have experienced cyberbullying in the last year.

But even as the overall prevalence of bullying in UK schools is in decline, traditional forms of bullying are still more common than cyberbullying. Almost the same number of schoolchildren experience violence as they do cyberbullying the report shows, with girls more likely to report cyberbullying than boys. 

The figures are the latest from the Department of Education's longitudinal bullying study, which records the experiences of GCSE-aged students, and releases results every ten years. It looks at common school-age bullying like name calling, social exclusion and threats of violence. 

This is the first time that the researchers have asked pupils aged 15 to 16 whether they have experienced cyberbullying. For the purpose of the study, the definition of cyberbullying separated phone and internet abuse. Of the 10,000 children surveyed, seven percent reported they had experienced abuse via one of these devices, and four percent both.

More girls experience cyberbullying than boys -- 15 percent of all girls in the study said they had been cyberbullied, while just seven percent of boys had. A previous study has also said 21 percent of teachers have seen derogatory comments posted about them to social media.  

The study found that the prevalence of bullying across the country has declined in the last decade. In total, 30,000 fewer children reported experiencing bullying and violent behaviour than in 2005. That said, other more traditional forms of bullying are still more common than cyberbullying. Those who took part in the study reported experiencing the following types of bullying: 


• Name calling, 22 percent 
• Social exclusion, 15 percent 
• Threats of violence, 14 percent 
• Actual violence, 10 percent 
• Robbery, 1 percent 

"As part of our commitment to delivering social justice we are helping teachers and charities end the scourge of bullying in our schools," said Nicky Morgan, education secretary. "Thanks to our reforms and their efforts, bullying is plummeting. While there is still more to do, today's news confirms that strong discipline coupled with the right support allows children to flourish."

The government's advice for tackling cyberbullying includes the ability to search for and delete inappropriate images on mobile phones and tablets. The national curriculum now includes internet safety, and Safer Internet Day is promoted across UK schools every February.




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