Nearly half of all students are victims of bullying at school or online, according to the Friends Report 2024. The report also shows that vulnerable children are twice as likely to fail core subjects and have more absences from school.
About 46% of Swedish students say they have been bullied or harassed in the past two months. This can be about half of all children in a class, says Friends in its new report. Twenty-six percent say they have been bullied online and 11% say they have been bullied at school
In addition, one in four students say they have stayed home from school because of insecurity or loneliness. Among those who reported being bullied on a regular basis, six in ten said they stayed home for the same reason. In this group, 18% had been absent from school repeatedly.
Twelve percent of children who are victims of abuse or bullying report failing one or more core subjects. This compares to six percent of children who are not victims of bullying. Seven out of ten children who struggle with tests and classes have been victimized or bullied. This is in stark contrast to those who have not been exposed, where only three in ten report the same difficulties.
Mental health problems are widespread
Among schoolchildren, nearly one in two girls and one in four boys report suffering from mental health problems, with the overall figure for all schoolchildren being eight per cent. Among children who are bullied, 23 percent show signs of depression and 17 percent show signs of anxiety.
“It is time to prioritize children’s safety, both at school and in digital environments. Safety is a prerequisite for knowledge and achievement”, writes Maja Frankel, Secretary General of the organization Friends.
The Friends Report 2024 is based on a Novus survey conducted in the spring, in which 1139 children between the ages of 10 and 16 participated.
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