One in four kids turning to drugs and alcohol due to bullying

Aussie kids are turning to drugs, alcohol and prescription medication in a desperate attempt to cope with bullying and cyber-bullying.

One in four Australian teenagers are turning to drugs, alcohol and prescription medication to cope with bullying.

News Corp Australia can reveal the findings of a survey of 1000 young people by youth support service ReachOut that has proved parents worst fears — their kids are not coping with bullying and are resorting to substances to help.

A total of 25.7 per cent of 14-25-year-olds who were bullied in 2018 said they had turned to substances.

For teens aged 14-18 it was 20.7 per cent and for 19-25 year olds it was 30.1 per cent.

A total of 24 per cent of Australians aged 14-25 were bullied in 2018, and 36 per cent say they were bullied online. This compares to 26.2 per cent who said they were bullied in 2017 and 38.2 per cent who said they were bullied online.

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ReachOut CEO Ashley de Silva said it was “really concerning” the number of youth turning to self-medicating to cope with bullying.

“We know this can be a fast-track to other problems like binge drinking, risky behaviour, overdose and even death,” Mr de Silva said.

“It is clear that the nature of bullying has changed forever. We need to carefully consider if it is still useful to use the terms bullying and cyber-bullying, when in so many cases they are both happening at the same time.”

Just fun, teasing — or bullying? Picture: Justin Lloyd

In addition to the findings on drugs and alcohol, the research also found that 65 per cent said bullying had a moderate to major impact on their emotional and mental wellbeing.

A total of 48 per cent of Australian youth said they spent time with family and friends to cope with bullying and 36 per cent did something they enjoyed.

ESafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said it was horrible that children were turning to drugs and alcohol to cope with bullying.

“We are saddened to hear that some coping mechanisms for bullying involve drugs and alcohol — clearly our aim is to provide relief through the take-down of harmful content and refer to mental health support when warranted,” she said.

ESafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant.

Ms Inman Grant said parent oversight in their child’s activities online was “absolutely critical”.

“As teens grow older and naturally seek their independence, it can become harder for parents to engage in their online activities, however we encourage them to continue reinforcing that you will be there to support them if something goes wrong online,” she said.

Digital expert Kristy Goodwin said for the first time the data quantified the real impact bullying and cyber bullying was having on our kids and should serve as a “wake up call” for how serious bullying was in society.

“For so long we didn’t have quantitative evidence but now this data proves what a lot of us had a hunch about for a long time,” Dr Goodwin said.

She said kids would turn to self-medicating if they didn’t feel they were supported, and “digital amputation” when your child is bullied online was not the answer.

“When we see these cascading consequences it is devastating but we need to be teaching our kids how to be safe online rather than removing them from the digital world.”

Kids Helpline said cyber-bullying was the most common cyber-safety contact from young people to the counselling service.

In 2018, Kids Helpline received more than 3580 contacts from children and young people about bullying with 905 being cyberbullied.

If you’re being bullied and need help visit reachout.com.au or call Kids Helpline for free on 1800 551 800.

Bec Thompson, 26, has described how she was bullied at school. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

CASE STUDY

For Bec Thompson bullying put her life on a rocky path.

The now 26-year-old music teacher mixed marijuana, alcohol and antidepressants while suffering severe bullying as a teenager in high school.

“When I was 14 I started at a new school and I was the new kid on the block and I didn’t fit in,” Ms Thompson, who lives on Sydney’s northern beaches, said.

“I was bullied in person and online. It was horrible. There was no escape.”

Ms Thompson said turning to drugs and alcohol made her feel as though she had a way out, but in reality it simply led her down a bad path.

“For me turning to substances formed an addiction and in the end it was not what truly helped me,” Ms Thompson said.

“Especially when you’re in adolescence your brain hasn’t formed properly yet and it can have lasting impacts when you are using substances that alter your brain chemistry.”

Ms Thompson urged all youth experiencing bullying to turn to a professional for help.

“You really need to find a sense of self worth that isn’t external,” Ms Thompson said.

“100 per cent seeking help from a professional has helped me out of this than substances ever did.”

@pollietracker

Originally published as One in four kids turning to drugs and alcohol due to bullying