Cyberbullying drove 13-year-old girl to self-harm, new report shows
The case has prompted an Irish charity to call on the Government to do more to protect children from disturbing content online
Two months of bullying hell that drove a 13-year-old girl to self-harm is laid bare in a disturbing new report from CyberSafeKids.
The Left to Their Own Devices study, published earlier this week, found children as young as eight exposed to disturbing content online. CyberSafeKids is now calling on the Government to regulate online gaming and other platforms including Roblox, TikTok, and YouTube.
One case study this newspaper saw recounts the ordeal suffered by a 13-year-old school girl who was bullied on TikTok and other platforms. It outlined how: “Videos and comments had been posted and it had been going on for two months.
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“A lot of comments related to intimate images that the child had supposedly shared and subsequently denied. A hashtag of the child’s first and last names was being used to personalise the bullying content.
“Bullying messages had also been sent on Snapchat and the mother of the child had been contacted on Facebook with mean messages about her daughter.”
The vile campaign took a nasty turn when the bullies got physical. Threats to throw stones at the house had been made and subsequently carried out and filmed on Snapchat.
“The child and her mother were greatly distressed and she was reported to be self-harming and refusing to leave the house. We reported the incidents to TikTok and eventually the offending content and accounts were removed (eight days later). The case was also reported to An Garda Siochana and the child was given access to a therapist through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.”
The CyberSafeKids report also revealed how children as young as eight have been exposed to violent or sexual content – or unwanted contact – on supposedly child-friendly platforms.
The 2023/24 report found one in four eight- to 12-year-olds reported being bothered or upset by something experienced or seen online. Almost 65 percent of the same group were contacted by a stranger while gaming online, with over half not telling a parent.
Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of incidents took place on Roblox. One nine-year-old girl reported: “Someone was saying creepy things to me on Roblox.” A girl, 12, told how: “My closest friend posted a harmful video of me, stating how rude I was and photos of me.”
CyberSafeKids want mandatory age verification and a law setting a minimum age for access to online platforms.
DCU Prof Brian O’Neill, a researcher on young people’s use of digital media, warned children face “cyberbullying torment”, adding: “Most worryingly, they often don’t know what to do or are afraid to speak up. Children deserve better.”
CyberSafeKids chief executive Alex Cooney said: “Roblox is one we are paying particular attention to this year because of its growing popularity.” She welcomed the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act and forthcoming Online Safety Code but added: “We are concerned they do not go far enough in relation to children specifically.”
For online advice go to www.cybersafekids.ie.
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