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Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health

Other studies of the victims of cyberbullying have indicated an increased risk of
depression and physical symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, insomnia,
behavioural difficulties and alcohol consumption.

Victims experience lack of acceptance in their peer groups, which results in loneliness
and social isolation. The young person’s consequent social withdrawal is likely to lead
to low self-esteem and depression. Bullies are also at risk. They are more likely than
non-bullies to engage in a range of maladaptive and antisocial behaviours, and they
are at risk of alcohol and drug dependency; like victims, they have an increased risk
of depression and suicidal ideation.

A Public Health analysis of cyberbullying in 2014 also found that:

17.9% of all young people surveyed aged 11-15 years old had experienced
cyberbullying in the two months before the survey. Girls appeared to be at a
significantly greater risk of cyberbullying, as distinct from more traditional types
of bullying, and the risk of being a victim of cyberbullying appears to increase
with age for both boys and girls.
Source: Cyberbullying: An analysis of data from the Health Behaviour in
School aged Children (HBSC) survey for England, 2014

A further report published in 2014 by Public Health England analysing the well-being
of adolescent girls found that:

Among girls, those with the lowest life satisfaction were found to be more
likely to have both consumed alcohol in the last month and ever been drunk
(consumed alcohol to excess), and ten times as likely to report having smoked
tobacco in the last month as those with the highest life satisfaction. They were
also more likely to report having ever used cannabis, having had sex, and being
involved in physical fighting.

Source: Well-being of adolescent girls: An analysis of data from the Health
Behaviour in School aged Children (HBSC) survey for England, 2014

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