Over 14% of children are victims of cyber bullying

Just over 14 per cent of children in Cyprus have fallen victim to cyber bullying at least once or twice in the last few months, research carried out by the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) revealed on Wednesday.

The figures showed 9.5 per cent of children had bullied another child online in the past few months at least once or twice.

Those that reported being bullied in the same timeframe and frequency amounted to 14.4 per cent.

The findings also showed that 4.3 per cent of students had bullied children at school at least two to three times in the past few months.

Where school bullying is concerned, the survey highlighted that 7.8 per cent of students were bullied at least two to three times a month in the last months.

In the same timespan, the number of children involved in fights at least three times in the past year amounts to 10.6 per cent.

The research highlighted that Cyprus’ figures are lower for school and online bullying, however where fights are concerned, the numbers are in line with international figures.

Additionally, the research highlighted the increase in cyberbullying is alarming, particularly in the past few years among certain groups of children. It highlighted it is unclear whether cyberbullying replaces bullying at school, but it should be an important social priority.

The HBSC survey has been carried out since 1983 and involves around 50 countries worldwide. The pilot survey took place in December 2018 and 1,182 students from 61 schools participated.

The main survey was conducted during the period November 2021-April 2022 with the participation of 4,818 students from a total of 212 schools both public and private. An online student questionnaire was administered to collect data. A school questionnaire was also shared in 200 schools.