Most 13-year-olds don't report being bullied as they don't think of it as bullying, says report
Four in 10 nine-year-olds said that a child or adult had picked on them in the last year. File photo
A majority of 13-year-olds who experience bullying in Ireland don’t tell anyone about it, while those with a disability, overweight, or are LGBT+ are more likely to have been bullied.
A new study from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has looked at the experience of bullying for children in Ireland at the age of nine and 13, and found that 62% of the teenagers had experienced behaviours such as being hit, called names, or excluded in the last three months.
However, children’s different perceptions of what being “bullied” actually means resulted in just 8% of 13-year-olds reporting they had been bullied.
“Perhaps the most striking finding is the difference between how bullying is defined by many young people and by schools and other organisations,” report co-author Emer Smyth said.
Produced in partnership with the Department of Children and using Growing Up in Ireland data, the researchers identified differences in children’s perceptions of bullying.
At the age of 13, children are more likely to see behaviour as bullying if it is more frequent, if it involves the same person or people and if they experience harm as a result.
Online abuse or name-calling was more likely to be labelled as bullying than other types, such as being excluded by others. This led to a disparity in reporting of bullying.
While 70% of those who felt they were being bullied told a parent, teacher or other adult, only 42% of those who experienced this bullying behaviour did so.
Meanwhile, four in 10 nine-year-olds said that a child or adult had picked on them in the last year.
The report also detailed the impact of this bullying. Those who were picked on at age nine were found to have poorer wellbeing and higher depression scores by age 13.
“Most young people who experience bullying behaviour report feelings of anger and upset, with between one-in-six and one-in-five indicating a lot of impact,” the report said.
The research also found that those with a disability, who are LGBT+, and who are overweight were more likely to be bullied, and this bullying more often took the form of exclusion and name-calling.
Report co-author Merike Darmody added: “The more negative experiences of 13-year-olds who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning point to the importance of specifically targeting homophobic behaviour at school and out-of-school activities.”
