1 In 5 Young People Have Been Bullied

A worrying annual report has surfaced on the BBC website this week detailing how one in five young people have been a victim of bullying.

Now three quarters of those bullied said it affected their mental health and they "nearly became depressed" as a result.

The figures mirror last year’s study. The Children's commissioner for England said "More needs to be done at home and in schools to help those who are the victims of bullying and also, crucially, to prevent children from bullying in the first place,”

Over 2000 people between 12 and 20 answered the survey which also assessed prejudice based views around racism, sexism, homophobia, disablism and transphobia.

The survey found;

The most common type of bullying was verbal, with cyberbullying the least common.

• Of those bullied, 33% said that they had suicidal thoughts, while 41% were left feeling anxious.

• Some 62% were bullied by a classmate and 37% by someone at school they did not know.

• Nearly two-thirds (59%) believed attitudes towards their appearance were the likely cause of bullying.

• In the majority of cases, male respondents were more likely to exhibit negative attitudes than females.

Young people’s mental health issues are on the rise in the UK, meanwhile the NHS cancelled 175,000 healthcare appointments focusing on mental health in the last year alone. According to Charity MIND this represents a 25% increase in cancelled appointments of this kind.

Now new proposals by Labour have indicated that they will prioritise children’s mental health and have pledged a qualified counsellor will be employed in every secondary school much akin to the American school system who often include school councillors amongst their staff base.

Now in 2017 one in eight 5 to 19 year old's had been diagnosed with at least one mental health disorder.

The BBC site writes; "Announcing plans for "real change", Labour said it would spend £845m per year on its Healthy Young Minds plan."

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If you want a "try before you buy" trial at your school just fill in this short form and you can see how well your classrooms respond to standing desks. 

Further Reading:

1 in 10 Children Have Mental Health Problems

Mental Health Issues on the Rise in Primary Schools


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