Friday is Pink Shirt Day in NZ schools, and we encourage our students all to wear something pink to school that day, no hair dye or nail polish, please. Friday is a free non-uniform day to raise awareness of anti-bullying in our society. No school is immune to bullying, and we take it very seriously when students are experiencing any form of bullying.

Cyber Bullying

Our young people spend a lot of time on phones, tablets, social media sites and messaging apps, so they are more likely to come across it. A survey in 2020 found that seven out of ten children aged 10 to 15 years who experienced online bullying said that it was by someone from their school. Nearly the same number were emotionally affected by the online bullying behaviour that they experienced.

Just because the bullying is taking place online does not make it less harmful. Cyberbullying can have devastating and sometimes long-lasting effects on the person involved. It is essential to know the signs to put a stop to it. Anyone who makes threats to us on the internet could be committing a criminal offence. In NZ, it's against the law to use the phone or the internet to cause alarm or distress to others. If we post abuse online about anyone or send threats, our internet provider has records of our activity. As soon as a message has been sent, it cannot be taken back, so it is important to consider the effect that our message or post could have on others. Cyberbullying often starts behind a keyboard, which may lead the bully to think that they are untraceable, giving them further confidence to post abusive comments.

When cyberbullying continues, it can feel relentless. It may result in victims not wanting to come to school or go about their usual activities. They may withdraw from friends and family, and sometimes, their feelings can even lead to self-harm and suicide. The most important thing is not to ignore or hide what is going on. Otherwise, the bullying may escalate. If students are being bullied, whether it is happening online or in person, they must tell an adult whom they can trust. Tell a parent, a member of school staff, a senior student leader or a helpline advisor. There are actions available to stop bullying; we do not have to put up with it. Most social media sites have a button for reporting abuse; making a report can result in the perpetrator being blocked or deleted from the site anonymously. We can also block anyone on social networking sites such as Facebook and Instagram so that they cannot message us again. It is good to take a screenshot of any abusive messages to use as evidence.