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'Bully or be bullied' fears
SCHOOLKIDS in Sheffield are being pressured into bullying to avoid becoming the next target themselves, according to a new survey by leading parenting support groups.
The survey by the Advisory Centre for Education and Netmums, to mark Anti-Bullying Week, asked youngsters whether they had ever been involved in bullying and why.
Nearly half who admitted to hitting, kicking or punching another child said they did it because they were dared by friends or worried they'd be picked on if they didn't.
Over a third admitted calling other children names because everyone else did it or they thought they'd be left out otherwise.
The problem of peer pressure was worst among 10-year-olds – among 14-year-olds it was much less of an issue.
Other main findings saw 47 per cent of Sheffield pupils admitted to calling other children names, while 32 per cent confessed to hitting, kicking or punching another child. More than two fifths admitted being bullied themselves at some point.
The survey also showed there is some confusion over what constitutes bullying. Although none of the children surveyed in Sheffield saw themselves as bullies, the majority, 79 per cent, agreed name-calling was bullying and almost half admitted they had called other children names.
Other new research for Anti-Bullying Week shows primary school children in South Yorkshire are becoming victims of cyberbullying and need help to protect themselves.
One in five of primary school pupils surveyed aged 10 or 11 had been cyberbullied in the past 12 months, while 22 per cent did not know how to protect themselves. Eighteen per cent had been cyberbullied whilst at home.
The research by the Anti-Bullying Alliance aims to highlight the fact that cyberbullying can happen 24 hours a day, whenever a computer or mobile phone is switched on, meaning children and young people may have no escape.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
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