Children First Canada says seven in 10 teens state they have been targeted in past year.
Bullying in Canada’s schools is taking an increasing emotional toll, with new reports showing most young people have experienced harassment in the past year.
A report from Children First Canada found 71 per cent of youth aged 12 to 17 had been bullied within the last 12 months. The report also found one in five teens experienced cyberbullying.
The Canada Safety Council echoed these concerns during National School Safety Week from Oct. 17 to 23, which focused on the rise of violence and harassment in schools and online.
“The statistics continue to paint a pretty bleak picture,” said Lewis Smith, the manager of national projects for Canada Safety Council. “We’re at a point now where one in four students claim to be targeted in online harassment. One in three report being bullied. This is something that is felt by a large majority of Canadians … so it’s a topic that we feel it’s of massive importance.”
Smith said one of the most important ways to address the problem is to make reporting easier.
“That’s so important for children because, again, there’s that element of peer pressure that comes into play,” he said. “No child wants to be seen as ratting out one of their so-called friends. We want to make sure that reporting is done as easily as possible, that you know who to turn to, whether it’s a parent, a teacher, or an administrator.”
Smith also urged parents to be proactive with online usage.
“It’s so easy for that kind of bullying [cyber] to fall under the radar, to not be picked up by a responsible adult,” Smith said. “We’re big advocates for setting healthy limits on device use, but also for talking openly about what’s going on online.”
Allison Paré, a registered provisional psychologist at Rivers Edge Counselling Centre, said the emotional and physical consequences of bullying can be severe.
She said bullying can affect teens’ self-esteem and mental health, sometimes leading to anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, and even physical issues like sleep problems, headaches, or lead to trouble at school.
Paré added the damage can last for years.
“It carries forward into your adulthood, and it impacts relationships and work performance and even school performance and university, and just core beliefs that you have about yourself … so it has quite a long, lasting impact,” said Paré.
She added that while bullying used to happen mostly face-to-face, many of the teens she sees today describe being targeted online.
“I’m seeing a lot of kids talking about cyberbullying. So on their Instagram or Snapchat, just getting messages or people adding them and like sending them really mean photos and that kind of stuff,” she said, noting online harassment is especially harmful because it follows them everywhere and there’s no way to escape it.
Emily Collins, another registered provisional psychologist at Rivers Edge Counselling Centre, said the effects of bullying can shape how children see themselves long after school.
Collins said one of the best ways to help is through open communication.
“I think that starts with just trying to foster really open communication with your child or with your teen about anything,” she said.
Collins said when kids feel comfortable talking about everyday things, they’re more likely to open up if something serious happens. She added that talking to someone like a trusted parent, friend, teacher or therapist can help kids process their feelings and regain confidence.
“My best advice for somebody going through bullying would be to make sure you’re not isolating yourself and know that you don’t have to go through it alone,” she said.
