Calls from young people reporting cyber-bullying has increased during lockdown, says Diana Award charity

The Diana Award, set up in memory of Princess Diana, says it has seen a 100 per cent increase in calls and messages, many of which have been from victims of bullying online as young people’s social media use has been higher than ever while schools are closed and people have been staying at home.

Alex Holmes, Deputy CEO of the Diana Award which was set up in memory of Princess Diana, said yesterday that teenagers were seeking solace from lockdown through social media, but that this in turn has also had negative effects.

Mr Holmes said: “Usually the number of conversations won’t be quite so high because young people will have a support network at school, but we have seen conversations increase and there has been a noticeable spike – particularly in March.

“With young people not having so much structure in their days it can be a little bit harder as a young person to understand the boundaries in how much communication is too much. It can also lead to young people to perhaps overshare, making them more vulnerable to negativity, as well as forget about the consequences of their behaviour and attitude towards others.”

Mr Holmes added that the helpline has also been helping people with issues such as stress, anxiety and other mental health issues which may be exacerbated during the pandemic.

The news comes as regulator Ofcom tells MPs that online platforms could face fines and sanctions if it is appointed to regulate harmful content online.

Chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes has told the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee that “financial penalties” and even temporary disruptions of sites could be penalties for platforms which fail to protect users.

She confirmed that the protection of young people should be prioritised by the regulations, and said ministers must also consider legal harms such as bullying and where they should sit within the duty of care.

“Clearly for younger people, even things which are not always illegal, such as bullying and unfair treatment of each other, matter more to young people – they’re more likely to be vulnerable, they are less equipped to be able to deal with the issues,” she said.

The Diana Award has now partnered with social media platform Yubo as part of Stop Cyber Bullying Day on Monday.

Annie Mullens, Independent Chief Safety Officer for the platform, which allows users to video chat live and has 30m users worldwide, said the platform had extensive measures to safeguard its users, including algorithms which prevent people chatting without clothes on.

Yubo also has strict age verification measures as well as intelligence which prevents people sending their personal details out or vitriolic messages.

Mr Holmes added: “The majority of bullying still happens or begins in real life, face-to-face situations.

“But when it does happen, young people perpetrating the bullying will look for things to pick on. Social media can also give people the opportunity to say things they wouldn’t normally say to one another in real life.

“In the same way bullying offline can make you feel depressed, shy or withdrawn, online bullying can affect people’s self-esteem making them less confident about themselves and about using the internet.”