Half of 14-year-olds have been bullied

Nearly half of England's 14-year-olds have been a victim of bullying, research has found.

"Cyberbullying" – where children face taunts, threats and insults via the internet and mobile phones – is now the most common form of bullying, along with name calling, the study showed. The government-commissioned research, by the National Centre for Social Research, analysed bullying among more than 10,000 secondary school pupils in England aged 14 to16. The initial findings show that 47 per cent of young people report being bullied at the age of 14. This falls to 41 per cent among 15-year-olds and 29 per cent among 16-year-olds.

After cyberbullying and name calling, the most common type of bullying was teenagers being threatened with violence, being excluded by their friends and facing actual violence. The study showed that girls were more likely to be bullied than boys at the age of 14 and 15.

Girls were more likely to face name calling than boys, and to be excluded from friendships, whereas boys were more likely to have their money and possessions taken, and to face violence. Teenagers with a disability were more likely to be the victim of name calling and to be excluded by others. The study also reveals the long-term effect on teenagers who have been bullied.

Those who were bullied at the age of 14 and 15 had significantly lower Key Stage 4 (GCSE level) scores.