43% of kids with mental health issues more like to be cyberbullied

Stats and figures

• 43% of kids with mental health issues say they’ve been cyberbullied compared to 22% of their peers
• 38% of kids in care say they are cyberbullied every day
• 36% of kids who care for someone else say they are bullied online
• Girls more likely to be cyberbullied than boys – 1 in 4 girls (25%) compared to 1 in 5 boys (18%)
• Of those, who were cyberbullied – 17% of kids described it as ‘really awful’, 31% described it as nasty and 39% described it as unpleasant

The research is being released as part of a joint initiative for Mental Health Awareness Week between Internet Matters and BBC Own It – around the theme of kindness.
We have created a video for parents to help them encourage children to be kind online – offering practical tips and advice.

The video covers four key talking points to discuss with their children:

• Behind every profile, there is a real person
• Encourage children to be inclusive and not leave others out
• Talk about the importance of helping others
• Give them coping strategies to respond if others are being unkind

The video has been created by psychologist Dr Linda Papapopoulos, who works directly with children helping manage the effects of cyberbullying. You can view more of Dr Linda’s content here.