Cyber-bullying of students tops the list of fears for parents

YOUNG people are twice as likely to be bullied at school as online or at work, and cyber-bullying is parents’ number-one fear for their children.

YOUNG people are twice as likely to be bullied at school as online or at work, with parents of students starting high school today being urged to learn the best ways to handle the problem.

A survey by youth mental health organisation ReachOut found almost a quarter of 1000 respondents aged 14-25 had been bullied in the past year. Only half of the victims sought help, most often from parents.

Of those who were bullied, 52 per cent were targeted at school compared to 25 per cent online and the same figure for the workplace. Many were victimised in multiple places.

The figures, released today, come as another survey shows that cyber-bullying has become a far bigger concern for parents of children going back to school than drugs, alcohol, or smoking.

The national Schoolyard to Screen survey — conducted by the Telstra Foundation and anti-bullying organisation Project Rockit — found 40 per cent of parents ranked cyber-bullying as their biggest worry, twice as many as those who were concerned children were “unsafe’ using the internet.

Just 9 per cent of parents feared their children would consume alcohol or try smoking, while 15 per cent worried they would try drugs.

The survey also found one in five teenagers had experienced cyber-bullying in the past month.

ReachOut chief executive Jono Nicholas said starting high school could be a tumultuous time for teens and parents.

“There is a new environment to contend with, more students, developmental changes and a bigger workload,” he said.

“It can be a time of upheaval for friendships, where young people making the transition to high school may lose touch with close friends and navigate new friendships. Sometimes the line between regular friendship issues and bullying becomes blurred.

“We want young people who experience bullying and their parents to know that you don’t have to put up with it.”