I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 148 together.
The Action Plan on Bullying, which was published in January 2013, sets out my Department's approach to tackling bullying in schools. These actions focus on support for schools, teacher training, research and awareness raising and aim to ensure that all forms of bullying, including cyberbullying, are addressed.
As part of the implementation of the Action Plan, new National Anti-Bullying Procedures for schools, which include a specific reference to cyberbullying, were published in September 2013 and are currently being implemented by all 4,000 primary and post primary schools in the country. Training materials for parents, teachers and Boards of Management are also being developed and rolled out.
The recommended approach is for schools to aim to prevent bullying in schools and, where it does happen, to take the steps required to address the issue at local level. There is no obligation on school authorities to report incidents of bullying to my Department and my Department does not collate data on individual bullying incidents.
My Department supports Safer Internet Day, an initiative that addresses internet safety issues, including cyber-bullying, for young people. In addition, awareness-raising resources on cyberbullying including "Up2Us" and "My Selfie and Wider World" are provided through the internet safety initiative, Webwise. An Up2Us Social Media Roadshow to help teenagers adopt best practice in terms of social media engagement was run in collaboration with Beat 102-103 over a 5 week period from mid-October 2014.
A study on "The Prevalence and Impact of Bullying Linked to Social Media on the Mental Health and Suicidal Behaviour among Young People", which was commissioned by my Department and the National Office for Suicide Prevention, was published in May 2014. The review notes that as cyberbullying appears to be closely tied to traditional bullying, it is likely that already established anti-bullying interventions will also impact on cyberbullying and that entirely new programmes are not necessary.
Central to promoting safer use of the Internet by young people is a strong commitment to changing behaviour and raising the knowledge, skills and attitudes around preventing and responding to cyberbullying incidents. The continued implementation of the Action Plan on Bullying will increase capacity in these areas and build on my Department's current strategy to ensure that internet safety is mainstreamed throughout schools' teaching, learning and other practices.
