Who do children tell when they are being bullied?

In 1997, over 2,000 children in England answered questions about bullying. In response to a question which asked bullied children if they had told anyone about it, many (30%) said they had not. It was also found that it was more likely for boys and for older children to keep silent. Of the children who did tell someone, 45% said they told a member of the family. This was closely followed by telling friends and then school staff (35%).
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Article details

P K Smith and Shu Shu (2000) 'What Good Schools Can Do About Bullying: findings from a survey in English schools after a decade of research and action', in 'Childhood', Volume 7, Issue 2.
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Author details

Professor Peter K Smith is Head of the Unit for School and Family Studies, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, London. He has been involved in bullying research for a number of years and has published widely on this topic.

Peter Smith may be contacted by email, and the website of the Unit for School and Family Studies at Goldsmiths College may be found here.
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