CHILDLINE ADVICE: Bullying continues to remain one of the top issues children turn to us about on a daily basis.

From April 2021 to March 2022 Childline delivered more than 8,000 counselling sessions to children and young people about bullying, a 16% increase compared to the same period the year before.

The majority of these counselling sessions were about being bullied in person – from insults and name calling, to violence.

Online bullying was a factor in more than a thousand of these sessions, with concerns from children ranging from nasty comments to threats and intimidation.

When a child is bullied, we know it can have a detrimental impact if they don’t get the support they need.

These children often feel sad, feel overwhelmed and feel lonely.

The signs of bullying can vary from not wanting to go to school or take part in normal activities, to feeling withdrawn, upset or angry at home.

Children who are being bullied might get anxious or angry if you go near their device, have difficulty sleeping or eating, and have angry outbursts that seem out of character.

Their belongings may get lost or damaged, they may have unexplained bruises, seem afraid to go to school or their performance in class may suffer, and you may find them more nervous or less confident.

If you’re worried your child may be experiencing bullying, the best thing you can do is to remind them they can talk to you about anything making them anxious or sad.

Try to remain calm as they’re explaining their worries and reassure them it’s not their fault.

Together, you can explore the Childline website for support and guidance on bullying, and there’s information for parents and carers on how to help a child experiencing bullying available on the NSPCC website too.

This Anti Bullying Week at Childline, we want to remind all children and young people that if they are being bullied that this is not their fault.

But our counsellors are here every day of every week of the year, and children can always reach out to Childline for support.