According to a new study, lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning children, alongside those with disabilities and those who are overweight, are more likely to experience bullying in Ireland. The findings were published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) on Tuesday, August 26, using data gathered among nine and 13-year-olds both in and outside of school.

The study noted that the levels of bullying reported reflect how young people are asked about their experiences. 40% of nine-year-olds said a child or adult had picked on them in the past year, while only 8% of 13-year-olds indicated they had been “bullied” in the previous three months. However, this figure for the latter age group rose to 62% when asked if they had been subjected to certain bullying experiences within the same timeframe, including being hit, called names or excluded.

13-year-olds who are LGBTQ+, disabled or overweight are the most likely to experience bullying. This mainly occurs socially, through exclusion and name-calling, rather than physically.

Furthermore, those who are picked on at age nine are more likely to be bullied as teenagers, highlighting the importance of early prevention and response. Those who face bullying at a younger age also tend to have poorer wellbeing and higher depression scores at age 13, particularly if they experience frequent bullying and from the same person.

Telling an adult is more common if the child interprets the behaviour as bullying and if it involves greater harm, rather than if they see it as name-calling or exclusion. Young people are also more likely to tell someone about hurtful material posted online, compared to other types of behaviour.

Speaking about the study, co-author Emer Smyth shared, “Perhaps the most striking finding is the difference between how bullying is defined by many young people and by schools and other organisations.

“A significant proportion of young people experience bullying-type behaviour that causes them to feel upset or anger,  but do not define it as bullying and so are less likely to tell an adult about it. It is important that the language used within school and in out-of-school activities is sufficiently inclusive to encompass behaviours like social exclusion that young people find particularly upsetting.”

Co-author Merike Darmody added, “The findings point to ongoing challenges to the inclusion of children and young people with a disability who report higher rates of social exclusion and name calling. The more negative experiences of 13-year-olds who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or questioning point to the importance of specifically targeting homophobic behaviour at school and out-of-school activities.”

The publication, entitled Experiences of bullying and bullying behaviours in childhood and adolescence, was conducted in partnership with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and used data from the Growing Up in Ireland study.

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