As millions of young people head back to school this September, new research, commissioned by leading youth charity The Diana Award and the UK’s largest online mental health support service Kooth, has revealed while more than half (56%) of the UK’s young people have experienced bullying, many are ‘suffering in silence’ with one in three (39%) saying they have avoided telling their parents or carers because they thought they wouldn’t understand.
The Survation study, which surveyed over 1,000 11-18 year olds, also looked at young people’s views on their parents’ understanding of bullying, with 43% stating that parents underestimate the extent of bullying online and 45% saying mobile phones make it harder to escape bullying.
Over half (57%) of young people say online bullying is harder for parents to notice than in-person bullying, with a third of young people (33%) revealing they receive hurtful posts and comments at least once a week or more that their parents never see.
The impact on young people is significant, with 31% saying it’s negatively affected their schoolwork and 30% saying it’s affected their sleep.
These statistics come as The Diana Award and Kooth join forces to launch a hard-hitting campaign encouraging young people to speak out about bullying and not suffer in silence.
The film shows a boy being hounded by phone notifications and hiding his anxiety from his mum, before it reveals every notification is a message from bullies.
A striking poster campaign shows parents’ phones with photos of their children on the lock screens, but a ‘Silent Mode’ pop-up is blocking their mouths.
The campaign is a powerful reminder that children may not always be as happy as they seem. Parents can learn to spot the signs of bullying at The Diana Award’s website antibullyingpro.com
Alex Holmes OBE, Deputy CEO of The Diana Award:
“At least one child in every classroom experiences bullying every day and we know it regularly continues online via social media platforms and messaging. We want young people to feel empowered to speak out about bullying and get the support they need. We’re delighted to be joining forces with Kooth this year on our ‘Back to School’ campaign.”
Dr Hannah Wilson, head of clinical governance, Kooth:
“Bullying can be life changing for students who can struggle with self-worth and confidence. Sadly, at Kooth we see issues of self-harm, anxiety and depression among many young people who have been – or who are still being – bullied. We would encourage young people to find help by telling a trusted adult or using a service like Kooth. For parents and carers, it may help to make their child’s digital life part of everyday conversations, while helping them to feel capable of handling tricky situations and of asking for help.”