To mark Anti-Bullying Week (14-18 November), the NSPCC has issued some advice for children who may need to contact their Childline service.
An NSPCC spokesperson explained, “Our Childline counsellors know that bullying continues to remain one of the top issues children turn to us about on a daily basis.
“From April 2021 to March 2022 Childline delivered more than 8,000 counselling sessions to children and young people about bullying, a 16% increase compared to the same period the year before.
“Most of these counselling sessions were about being bullied in person – from insults and name calling, to violence.
“Online bullying was a factor in more than a 1,000 of these sessions, with concerns ranging from nasty comments to threats and intimidation” they explained.
“This week is national Anti-Bullying Week, and is a good opportunity to think about the detrimental impact bullying can have on a child if they don’t get the support they need.
“Children who experience bullying often feel sad, overwhelmed, lonely, anxious or angry.
“They may not want to go to school or take part in normal activities, feel withdrawn, have difficulty sleeping or eating.
“If you’re worried a child may be experiencing bullying, the best thing you can do is to remind them they can talk to you about anything making them anxious or sad.
“If they talk about what they’ve experienced, try to remain calm and reassure them it’s not their fault.
“Let them know they can explore the Childline website for support and guidance on bullying, and there’s information for adults, parents and carers on how to help a child experiencing bullying available on the NSPCC website too.
“This Anti Bullying Week at Childline, we want to remind all children and young people that if they are being bullied that this is not their fault.
“And our counsellors are here every day of every week of the year, and children can always reach out to Childline for support.”
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