Methods of bullying
The way in which children are bullied has changed little over the years. In both primary and secondary education, ‘personal bullying’ was by far the most common. In primary education, it accounted for no less than 66.2% in 2018 (compared with 65.8% in 2016 and 69.7% in 2014).
In secondary education, the difference with other methods was slightly smaller. There, ‘personal bullying’ accounted for 47.2% in 2018 (compared with 45% in 2016 and 43.9% in 2014). In second place in secondary education was ‘bullying through messages or pictures on the internet’, at 20.2% (compared with 19.2% in 2016 and 21.2% in 2014). In third place in secondary education was ‘bullying through telephone calls’, at 14.9% in 2018 (compared with 13.3% in 2016 and 13.1% in 2014). ‘Bullying through notes’ is becoming increasingly less popular in secondary education: in 2014, it still accounted for 11.1%; two years later, this fell to 8.5%, and in 2018 it accounted for just 6.4%.
At Education in Figures, you can find all the figures on bullying. Minister Slob also recently informed the House of Representatives about this. You can read his letter here.