Bullying now the biggest reason for calls to Childline

A growing number of primary school aged children are calling the
charity helpline Childline about bullying.

Last year, Childline received more calls than ever about
bullying – 18 per cent more than in the previous year.
Bullying now accounts for a quarter of all calls, and is the single
biggest reason children contact Childline.

There were around 8,500 calls from children aged 11 and under
about bullying. One in four of these had already told a teacher but
still felt the need to call Childline.

About half said they had experienced name calling and other
verbal abuse and one in three had been physically assaulted,
sometimes seriously. Many said they had received text messages as
part of the bullying.

Childline says that although 2,300 calls from children are
answered every day, there are still hundreds of children trying to
get through who receive a message asking them to call back
later.

Childline has published its “top ten anti-bullying
tips” for children plus a special bullying diary which
children can use to keep track of bullying incidents. Both are
available on its website.

www.childline.org.uk