Kids More Likely to be Bullied at School than Online
Almost 30 per cent of children in Leeds and across the UK have been bullied in the last year, new research shows.
It’s also claimed that children are four times more likely to be bullied at school than online.
Curtis, a student from Seacroft, told us about his experience of being bullied in secondary school:
“I got spat at in the face, punched in the face…it made me lose my confidence a lot. I found myself acting up and taking it out on the ones I love the most.
“It got me angry because I didn’t understand why they were bullying me and not somebody else.
"They were much older than me as well. I think that they feel happy knowing that they’ve hurt someone, and I think they feel good about themselves.”
The findings are part of the ‘Hands Up! Let’s Stop Bullying For All’ campaign which is backed by the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
The survey of 6-15 year olds found that 69 percent of bullied children have faced it in school, but only 10 percent have been exposed to bullying via social media.
Another key finding was that over three quarters of children believe bullying occurs as a means of showing off.
That’s something Curtis agrees with:
“I think they show off to their friends and need to prove themselves by showing their friends that they’re big and hard like they think they are.”
The research also found many children are suffering in silence, with almost a quarter of victims not telling anybody.