Suicide Among Children Is A Bigger Problem Than Ever Before, And Cyberbullying May Be The Cause

The U.K has seen a drastic increase in the number of suicides among children over the past three years. And according to ChildLine, a counseling service for young people and children, the largest suicide rate increase has been seen within the 12-15 age groups.

ChildLine’s suicide report states that the number of children who’ve admitted to having thought about suicide has increased by 116 percent since 2010. Suicide attempt rates have gone up the most in the past year — 6,000 children admitted to attempting suicide the year before, a suicide-attempt increase of 43 percent, reports the Huffington Post.

The big issue is this: What is causing children and young people to become so depressed that they contemplate suicide? What burdens are you facing at such a young age? According to the Independent’s report, ChildLine has identified cyber bullying to be a possible factor that may cause children to experience thoughts of suicide. This conclusion comes because those who admitted to thinking about suicide frequently admitted to also being bullied on Twitter and Facebook. The organization’s suicide report was released a mere two weeks after Britain’s proposal to make internet trolling punishable by law, as was reported recently by the Inquisitr.

But even with the possibility of a link between cyber-bullying and suicide, it is still difficult to pluck out the root cause of suicide increases amongst children, admits Esther Rantzen, the Founder of ChildLine.

“It is difficult to analyze the cause for this growing unhappiness, whether this is a symptom of our pressured lives, or if the isolation of many young people is due to other factors in the family.”

According to the Independent, the suicide report from ChildLine was released to coincide with Child Helpline’s International Conference being held in London, where suicide and mental health may very well be at the top of the agenda.

The U.K is not the only place with a child suicide problem. Across the sea to Florida, a professor has been named program director of a multimillion-dollar suicide-prevention program, reports Central Florida Future. The program, which will employ the expertise of suicide prevention specialists, will seek to help children, teenagers and young adults at risk for committing suicide. They will focus on individuals aged 10-24, as this group experiences the most depression and thoughts of suicide. The professor, Gryglewicz, has also identified cyber bullying as a leading cause of suicide among young people.

“Kids today are being exposed to more things, such as cyber-bullying, than in my generation. They’re also growing up at a quicker rate. It’s not just teenagers who are feeling depressed, helpless and hopeless. We’re seeing kids as young as 6 or 7 who feel this way.”

Cyber-bullying has become so prevalent that in August, the Inquisitr reported that a Canadian student was inspired to model her science project, titled “Rethink,” towards reducing cyberbullying. In April, the Inquisitr reported that the suspect believed to have cyberbullied Amanda Todd, causing her to commit suicide, was arrested and charged with extortion, internet luring, criminal harassment, and child pornography.

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