Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 15 June 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills

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

Dr. Angela Mazzone:

I can address the question about using strategies. The Senator mentioned children using their cell phones in their bedrooms at night. What we know from research is that parental mediation strategies, which are the strategies that parents use to deal with children's usage of technology, should be consistent in the sense that parents should give clear and precise rules and should follow up on those rules. When parents’ strategies are consistent, children are less likely to be involved in risky behaviours and in cyberbullying. There is probably no magic recipe for parents but it is more about using consistent strategies and being coherent.

Perhaps someone else would like to address the other question.