Children starting high school make up more than a third of all cyberbullying reports made to the eSafety Commissioner.
As the world marks Safer Internet Day (February 11), new data has shown the instances of cyberbullying has jumped by more than 450 percent in the past five years.
Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said last year eSafety received 2978 valid cyberbullying complaints, a 25 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Ms Inman Grant said of those reports, 1385 (46 percent) were in relation to children 13 years old and younger.
“Children aged 12 and 13 accounted for 35 percent of reports in 2024,” she said.
Ms Inman Grant said cyberbullying reports tended to increase during the school term as online bullying was often an extension of bullying behaviour in the playground or classroom.
“We know the real-world consequences of cyberbullying can be devastating, particularly for young people.”
She said parents and carers of children who were entering secondary school would find eSafety’s webinars relevant, informative and able to help them have conversations about their child’s online activities.
“Most importantly, the conversations you have now with your children are about reassuring them they can come to you if anything they experience online makes them feel uneasy.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing a significant proportion of cyberbullying complaints impacting young people aged 12 and 13, many of whom are navigating high school for the first time. And girls are reporting cyberbullying at double the rate, compared to boys,” she said.
Ms Inman Grant said valid cyberbullying reports to eSafety increased from 536 in 2019 to 2978 in 2024, a 455 percent increase over the five-year period.
“While the exponential growth in cyberbullying reports in recent years is concerning, it is also a clear indication that more people know what to do when it happens and they are reporting to us at eSafety.gov.au,” she said.
Ms Inman Grant said eSafety’s back-to school support resources for parents, carers and educators included:
- Transition to secondary school webinars for parents and carers throughout February and other webinars scheduled for Term 1, 2025.
- Professional development and tailored classroom resources for educators.
- A range of resources to assist educators integrate cyberbullying awareness into their curriculums.
