1 in 4 young people, aged 11 to 13 years, will be bullied this year.
About how they look, who they fancy, and their sex and race.
1 in 6 young people will experience cyberbullying.
This is no surprise to Lauren.
We all have to do better. Be better. Make the change.
If you want to do any fact-checking, my sources are UNICEF’s Innocenti Report Cards 16, 19, & 20, all available on the UNICEF website.
For the bullying specifically, I referred to the World Health Organisation’s ‘A Focus on Adolescent Peer Violence and Bullying in Europe, Central Asia and Canada: Health Behaviour in School-aged Children International Report from the 2021/2022 Survey, Volume 2 released in 2024.
And the Department for Education (UK) National Behaviour Survey Findings from academic year 2024 to 2025 published November 2025.
For a general understanding of children’s lived experience in the UK, I used The Children’s Society’s Good Childhood Reports 2023, 2024 & 2025. They are a great place to start if you want to understand what it’s like for British children and young people. They even include what needs to change to make things better.
In the U.K. if you are a young person or a parent looking for help, the Anti-bullying Alliance is a good resource. They tell you how to seek help or how to help as a trusted adult.
And if you are local to Lauren you might try the Bekindtomymind Campaign website for a more local perspective.
Stay safe. Be Kind.
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ianhedley - Indie Horror / Dark Fantasy Writer 