Cyberbullying research summary 2011

For further information: www.respectme.org.uk

respectme’s website offers practical advice and guidance for adults on addressing bullying behaviour. There is also a section specifically for children and young people offering practical advice on what to do if they’re being bullied.

Cyberbullying Survey NOVEMBER 2011

www.digizen.org

‘Digital citizenship’ is about building safe spaces and communities, and using online presence to grow and shape your world in a safe, creative way.

www.childline.org.uk

ChildLine’s website has a bullying section for young people and adults.

www.childnet.org.uk

Childnet International works in partnership with other organisations to help make the internet a safe place for children and young people.

www.ceop.gov.uk

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre website provides information and advice for online safety.

T: 0844 800 8600 E: enquire@respectme.org.uk

Copyright © 2007 respectme. All rights reserved. Scottish Charity No. SC-008897.

Registered Office: Brunswick House, 51 Wilson Street, Glasgow G1 1UZ

Summary Report

respectme is Scotland’s anti-bullying service.

It is funded by the Scottish Government and managed in partnership by SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) and LGBT Youth Scotland. respectme works with all adults who play a role in the lives of children and young people to give them practical skills and confidence to address bullying behaviour. The service provides free anti-bullying training to adults across Scotland, and works with organisations at a strategic level to develop and review anti-bullying policies and practices. respectme also campaigns to raise awareness of bullying and the impact it can have on individuals, communities and society as a whole.

Our work is underpinned by a set of values and principles: The rights of children and young people are at the heart of everything we do Our values of respect, inclusion and equality underpin every aspect of our work We work in partnership to build the capacity of all adults who play a role in the lives of children and young people We promote a positive, practical and realistic approach to improving the life experiences of children and young people We will influence behaviour, culture and attitude towards bullying behaviour

What do we mean by bullying behaviour?

Bullying can be behaviour that makes people feel hurt, threatened, frightened and left out. Based on our learning and experience bullying is a combination of behaviours and the impact they have.

It can be a range of behaviours from • name calling • being teased • being hit • having belongings taken or damaged • being ignored or left out • having rumours spread about you • abusive text messages or emails • being targeted because of who you are or who you are perceived to be

This behaviour can harm physically or emotionally and the actual behaviour may not be repeated, but the threat will be sustained over time. Typically, the threat will be sustained by actions: looks, messages, confrontations, physical interventions or the fear of these.

Bullying takes something away from people; it impacts on a person’s ability to feel in control of themselves, what we refer to as their sense of ‘agency’.

Cyberbullying is the same type of behaviour but it takes place online, on social networking sites, mobile technologies, gaming and instant messaging platforms.

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A Q

Cyberbullying

respectme first campaigned and developed resources on cyberbullying in 2007. Over the subsequent years the resources and guidance informed the development of training tools. 2010 and 2011 saw a significant increase in enquiries about cyberbullying from individuals, schools and media.

There was also an increase in media coverage of the issue, which led to respectme further developing and piloting a revised one day cyberbullying training course. This proved a popular and helpful event delivered across the country on 20 occasions in 2011/12.

To support this training resource and to plan for a new campaign, we decided to conduct some research into children and young people’s experiences of cyberbullying and to get a snap shot of their habits and experiences on line.

In October 2011, our survey received 3,944 responses from children and young people aged 8 - 19 from 29 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities. Some of the main findings from the survey are as follows:

Do you think you have been cyberbullied?

16% said

Yes

The most common responses to how this makes them feel is

upset

sad angry Did you know the person who was doing this to you?

63% said

Yes

and on 40% of these occasions it has

carried over into school

Is cyberbullying something you worry about when you’re online?

Yes 25% said

horrible

How often do you use the internet?

55% of children and young people said that they use the internet every day. 53% are online for 1 – 2 hours per day, 8% say they are online for more than 5 hours per day.

What devices do you use to communicate?

• The most common devices used to access the internet are

mobile phones and laptops – both used by 59%, with

•

games consoles ahead of PCs, particularly amongst males.

This reflects that children and young people use more than one device, and more than one online platform, to communicate.

Where do you go online to chat?

• The most common places young people go to online are

Facebook, 68%, followed by BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) 28% then MSN 23%.

Who would you tell or who did you tell if you were cyberbullied?

• Parent/carer 71% Friend 43% Teacher 31%

Older sibling/cousin 27% When asked what may stop them from telling, responses varied from ‘nothing would stop me’ to ‘fear of making it worse’ and ‘not being listened to’.

What does this tell us?

These findings indicate that for children and young people, the internet is simply another place for them to socialise and meet friends – this supports and has influenced our campaign message ‘She’s still going somewhere’.

technology is used by children and young people to communicate, especially those most commonly used like Facebook, BBM and MSN. They need to agree boundaries for its use and how you will respond to any difficulties they may have.

This campaign encourages adults to engage with children and young people about where they go online and who they are spending time with, just like they would if they were going into town.

respectme offers free training on cyberbullying and can provide tailored training to organisations on request.

Children and young people reflect that they would like to be able to tell a parent or carer if they were being cyberbullied but fear an overreaction. That is why it is vital parents and carers make themselves aware of how

Details of the free training on offer can be found at: http://www.respectme.org.uk/ Training-Calendar.html A fuller and more detailed description and analysis of the data will be published in 2012.