NSPCC records 88% rise in children seeking help for online abuse
Summary : This article explains that children and young people have been tormented by online trolls, this has been increased by 88% in 5 years. At the start of anti-bullying week, the NSPCC said that in a quarter of its counselling sessions children and young people were also given help with mental health and wellbeing issues including low self-esteem, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and depression. Children young as 7 told Childline they were being tormented and abused by malicious and hurtful messages from which they felt there was no escape. The comments posted on their social media profiles, blogs and online pictures ranged from bullying and abusive words about the way they looked to death threats and even being told to kill themselves.
[] Report shows that number of children who contacted ChildLine increased by more than 2,000 over five-year period
[] ChildLine, counselled 4,541 children about online bullying in 2015-16, compared with 2,410 in 2011-12.
[] In nearly a third (31%) of counselling sessions for online bullying, children and young people talked about gaming or social networking sites as platforms for abuse or humiliation
[] Online bullying is quickly becoming the main type of bullying that children and young people contact ChildLine about, and the 24/7 nature of social media only exacerbates the issue.
[] The average time spent online is three hours per day, up 50% from two hours last year.
[] ChildWise research also shows that in 2011, 68% of seven- to 16-year-olds had used social media in the week prior to being surveyed, but that by 2016, this number rose to 78%.
[] The proportion of children and young people that can go online in their bedroom has also increased dramatically. In 2011, 58% of five- to 16-year-olds could do this, but in 2016 the proportion rose to 71%.
[] mobile phone ownership has dropped slightly in the past five years, this is because tablet ownership has increased dramatically, from 11% of five- to 16-year-olds in 2011 to 67% of the same age group in 2016.
My opinion : These statistics are shocking, it supports the idea of the new and digital media growing and becoming more powerful and many people are taking an advantage of this. Online and cyber bullying has been online for a long time but recently it has grown, this may just because people may find it as a 'easier way out' or find it that their identity is hidden if they are bullying someone by being anonymous. Through the warnings and raising awareness about cyber bullying, this issue is quite tricky to handle and can get out of hand due to the fast changes and developments in the technology.
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