A resounding success

First and foremost, a huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the joint autumn conference with the BPS London and Home Counties Branch entitled 'Bullying and cyberbullying in schools - The evidence base for prevention and intervention' (KiVa anti-bullying programme). 

The event, held at the prestigious Royal Society of Medicine in October, was a resounding success, with very positive feedback from those who attended in person and online. 

Take-home points

Our take home points from the conference included:

*Social media has a role in amplifying the reach and severity of bullying incidents and perpetuating cyberbullying.

*Tech companies have a responsibility in moderating harmful content and implementing reporting mechanisms, as well as developing more sophisticated algorithms to detect harmful content automatically.

*Better tracking of mechanisms in schools is needed to identify patterns of bullying and clearer guidelines on how to handle cyberbullying that occurs outside of school hours.

*There is a need to explore more effective ways for platforms to collaborate with parents.

*There is need to put more pressure on tech companies to improve online safety features and quicken response time for removing harmful content.

*Community level interventions are important, including collaboration between teachers, parents and local authorities. 

*There is a need for more teacher training and professional development.

*Longitudinal studies are relevant to help highlight the long-term impact of bullying into adulthood.

*Digital literacy programmes can help students how to navigate online spaces safely, understanding the implications of their online actions, and fostering responsible digital citizenship can help reduce cyberbullying incidents.

*The study underscores the significant impact of bullying on mental health. Central government should allocate more funds toward mental health services within schools, ensuring that there are sufficient counsellors and psychologists available to support students.

KiVa: What's happening in Japan and study findings 

One particularly fascinating highlight of the event came from one of our in-person attendees, who shared invaluable insights into the current state of bullying and cyberbullying in Japan. 

Thanking us for 'organising a very insightful seminar and reaching out' for feedback, we heard about incidences of bullying and cyberbullying in Japan where initiatives, in line with KiVa, are currently being developed and rolled out countrywide. 

At the time of the conference we learned from Professor Judy Hutchings, co-director of the Centre for Evidence Based Early Intervention at Bangor University and one of the UK's leading researchers in this field, that the outcomes of the largest UK trial of its kind looking at KiVa were soon to be published. 

You can read more about the findings here. In addition, Professor Judy Hutchings was featured on ITV Wales on Friday 10 January 2025 highlighting the benefits of the KiVa antibullying approach in a school in Rhyl, Wales.