One quarter of primary age children and 40% of secondary age pupils in Ireland have experienced cyberbullying.
The latest report from CyberSafeKids shows that girls are more likely than boys to be victimised online, with the posting of pictures without permission, creation of fake social media profiles and exclusion from chat groups the most commonly experienced forms of online abuse.
93% of 8 to 12 year olds have access to a smart device with 31% saying that they are allowed to go online whenever they like.
Head of education and innovation of CyberSafeKids Phillip Arneill, spoke to Alan on Morning Mix and says there can be misconceptions out there:
“There’s a sense from parents and caregivers that if you are in the house and online, its somehow safer than being outside the house and unsupervised, but that is really not the case. If you give your child access to the online world, you are also giving the online world access to your child. So it’s really important that you are supervising and monitoring. Do not let them take devices into their bedroom.”
A Wexford secondary school teacher has reacted to the figures stating that its very difficult for children to get away from bullying online.
Speaking to South East Radio News Mr. Jim Codd said:
“One child described it to me as a poorly regulated warzone. Its 24/7 and the kids find it terribly difficult to get away from it. This is a great weight to put on teenagers.”
