Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 18 May 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills

School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. David Duffy:

The issue of data is very complex, not only because it is hard to gather in terms of whether bullying took place but also the whole context of where it may have taken place and who becomes responsible for data, etc. Schools have very clear responsibilities here. The Deputy mentioned cyberbullying which is a particularly insidious thing because one can never actually get away from it, as the Deputy mentioned. If cyberbullying takes place at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night, there is a limit as to what a school can do about it in the immediate case, even if it becomes aware of it. This is why everyone needs to work together on it. Cyberbullying is something one will never escape from.