More than half of teens aged 13-17 have seen violence on social media

  • A survey carried out on behalf of the Youth Endowment Fund asked 2,025 teenagers about their experiences of violence.  
  • It found that 55% of children aged 13-17 had seen real violence on social media in the past 12 months. 
  • It revealed that 14% had skipped school because they feared being a victim of violence.  
  • 65% altered their behaviour, appearance or where they went to keep themselves safe.  
  • The most common forms of violence viewed online were fights, threats to beat someone up, sexual assault and weapon imagery. 
  • For more on this story, please visit the Independent’s website.  

NI Schools warned over not vetting substitute teachers

  • Over 40 schools have been warned about employing teachers who have not fully completed criminal record checks.  
  • A subsequent email from an Education Authority official, said the letters had been sent to 45 schools.  
  • More than two thirds of the teachers involved are now ‘Live’ on the Northern Ireland Substitute Teacher Register (NISTR). 
  • Schools have been asked to stop engagement of teachers who have not registered with NISTR. 
  • For more on this story, please visit the BBC website

NI Childline bullying calls double in a year

  • The number of young people in NI who received Childline counselling sessions about in-person bullying has more than doubled in the past year. 
  • New data from the NSPCC has found 2021-2022 figures have increased by 119% compared to the previous year’s figures.  
  • This indicates that bullying remains a major problem for children and young people in NI. 
  • The release of the NSPCC figures coincides with Anti-Bullying Week (November 14th to November 18th).  
  • Check out our resources for Anti Bullying Week 2022.  
  • To find out more, go to the Down News website.