Bullies cast fear over return to school

By JO-MARIE BROWN


Growing numbers of children are phoning youth helplines to say they are scared of being bullied when they return to school next week.

Both the What's Up and Youthline telephone counselling services say that calls from youngsters worried about bullying or making friends increase when school holidays draw to a close.

Kids Help Foundation executive director Grant Taylor said parents should listen to their children if they complain about not wanting to return to school as it may not be end-of-the-holiday blues.

Mr Taylor said violence in the school playground appeared to be getting worse and over a third of all calls received by the What's Up service last year were from children worried about being bullied and fitting in with others.

"There's good evidence that anxiety and depression in primary school years greatly increase the risk of severe mood and conduct disorders in teenage years and later in life.

"Parents should talk to their kids about whether they're being bullied at school and look out to see if there are signs that their children are bullying others," Mr Taylor said.

He said children could be intimidated in many ways, including via email, the internet or text message.

Last year, 16-year-old Daniel Gillies from Oamaru committed suicide after being sent cruel text messages about his disfigured face.

Youthline director Stephen Bell said returning to school often involved changing classes and teachers, and the risk of being bullied often lurked in children's minds.

"Bullying is part of our schools' culture that we need to get more to grips with," Mr Bell said.

"If your kids are suddenly a bit quieter or start acting up, you should stop and think about whether there could be something more behind it."

But Secondary Principals Association president Paul Ferris disagreed that bullying was a growing problem. He believed more children were phoning the helplines because they were aware of the issue and the importance of seeking help to prevent youth suicide and other problems from occurring.

"But we do need to be aware that teenagers are very fragile young people who can get quite concerned. While they may appear to be outwardly confident ... they can be inwardly very unhappy."

Helpline

What's Up offers a free confidential nationwide telephone counselling service for all children. It is available between noon and midnight seven days a week on 0800 WHATSUP (0800 942-8787).