Online bullying scourge: Australia ranks second in the world for cyber-bullying, new report shows

A new study into a scourge of society places Australia only behind the US worldwide and should be a “wake-up call”, experts warn.

Exclusive: Almost one in four Aussie kids have suffered cyber-bullying, giving Australia the second highest rate of online abuse against children in the world, according to a new study.

And there are concerns not all parents are aware their children are at risk, with a “gap” between those being bullied and the parents who know about it.

The report comes a day before Do It For Dolly Day (May 13), an annual event to highlight the risks of online bullying following the tragic death of Dolly Everett in 2018.

The new study from McAfee, which surveyed 15,500 parents and 12,057 children across 10 countries, found 24 per cent of Australian children reported suffering bullying online.

The figure was significantly higher than the global average of 17 per cent, and placed Australia only behind the US for cyber-bullying incidents worldwide.

The report also found just 20 per cent of parents were aware their children had been exposed to online bullying, even though two thirds of Australian parents said they were concerned about the risks of their children using social media.

McAfee ambassador Alex Merton-McCann says parents should keep an “open dialogue” with their children about online bullying. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

McAfee cyber safety ambassador Alex Merton-McCann said the report’s “overwhelming” findings should be a “wake-up call” to parents, educators and regulators.

She said Australia’s high rate of cyber-bullying was fuelled by more children being online and using social media.

“We are giving kids phones earlier than we ever have — there are studies showing kids have phones in their pockets from the age of seven, eight, nine and 10 — and we have kids on social media at ages that are completely inappropriate,” she said.

“So we’ve got tiny people who have limited life experiences living in this really big adult world without protections in place.”

A Sydney mother, who asked not to be named, said her 13-year-old daughter recently suffered relentless and unbearable online bullying, forcing the family to remove her from a northern Sydney private girls’ school.

What began as an in-person disagreement escalated to hateful online messages, ostracisation, and threats of violence, she said.

“We gave it a whole term but for two weeks she begged me every day to please remove her from this school, she was alone, and had to spend every lunch time alone,” the mother said.

“The school didn’t suspend the bullies and they were left to torment and bully my daughter.”

The woman said her daughter enjoyed a better experience at a public school, and warned parents should “keep an open dialogue” and take action when needed.

The Sydney mother of a bullying victim says schools should take bullying incidents seriously.

Dolly’s Dream spokeswoman Jessie Mitchell called the study’s findings “concerning” but said she hoped the high number of reports indicated bullying was losing its stigma.

“In Australia over the last couple of years we’ve been having clearer conversations about cyber-bullying and the importance of speaking up,” she said.

“We’ve also got some quite stringent regulations (about cyber-bullying) under the Online Safety Act but these are not always widely understood.”

Ms Merton-McCann said parents should also ensure children felt comfortable talking about bullying without fear of having technology taken away and, in the case of an incident, knew to screenshot messages, approach the school for help, or report bullying to the eSafety Commission.

For help with emotional difficulties, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au, or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

Originally published as Online bullying scourge: Australia ranks second in the world for cyber-bullying, new report shows