Fears over spike in disturbing cases of school bullying in Victoria

New internal figures show there were 70 serious school bullying incidents reported to the Victorian Education Department last year.

School bullying cases so ­serious they were reported to the Victorian Education ­Department soared last year, internal figures show.

For the first time, the Education Department kept specific track of serious incidents of online bullying at schools, with 17 incidents reported to head office in 2022.

Of the 70 serious cases of bullying reported to the ­department last year, 17 ­involved online bullying.

The figures, released to the Sunday Herald Sun, show there were 6289 serious behaviour incidents reported to the department last year, up ­almost 300 from 2021.

Cyber safety expert Leonie Smith, who runs Digital Families Counselling, said she had seen a “significant rise” in cyber bullying.

“Some of the most recent cases I’ve heard about from parents include teens as young as 13 being impersonated by bullies who set up fake social media accounts under the victim’s name,” Ms Smith said.

Online bullying is on the rise among schoolchildren.

In another case, she said a 13-year-old girl was told to take her own life by online bullies from her school.

“This type of language on social media is extremely harmful,” she said.

Ms Smith said online bullying was causing high rates of anxiety and depression among young teens.

“My advice for parents is to delay social media for children until they are in high school,” she said.

“When they are allowed to use social media they need a lot of supervision and education to show them how to use it in a positive way.”

A primary school principal, from Melbourne’s southeast, said he had witnessed several “concerning” online bullying incidents.

“Unfortunately, social media has caused a number of issues, including cyber bullying on TikTok and other apps,” the principal said.

“The problem is that children are unable to escape bullying in the schoolyard because of social media and it can have very harmful effects on them.

“It’s important for schools to have strong anti-bullying programs and education ­resources.”

Former primary school teacher Kylie Allen, director of Inspiring Minds Studio which helps build social, emotional and academic skills in preschoolers, said there was heightened anxiety at this time of year for many kids.

Ms Allen said the rise in bullying complaints was very concerning.

“It’s becoming a lot more common at a lot of schools,” she said “It’s hard to know whether kids are more vulnerable or that there are more who are an easy target, or if it is stemming from something happening online.”

Acting Education Minister Ingrid Stitt said: “There is no place for any form of bullying, violence or aggression in Victorian schools – and nothing is more important than the ­safety of Victorian students and staff.”

“Victorian schools take ­appropriate action in relation to incidents and provide support to any student or teacher who has been involved.”

An Education Department spokesman said violence and aggression had no place in Victorian schools.

“The safety and wellbeing of students and staff is always our top priority,” the spokesman said.