November 2013
Featured in this insight: Charity & not-for-profit, Education, Public health & wellbeing, Children & young people
Bullying is parents main fear for their kids: Research commissioned by the charity Drinkaware has revealed that bullying is parents’ biggest fear when their children start secondary school with bullying being a greater concern that alcohol. But their children’s’ main concern is making the right sort of friends as they make the transition to secondary school.
The poll of 1,000 parents and their children aged 10–14, looked at the pressures and challenges involved with starting secondary school. Bullying topped the parents’ list of biggest things to worry about with 33% claiming this to be the main fear followed by the desire to see their offspring doing well at school (28%) and making the right kind of friends (21%).
Only a small number of parents and children mentioned concerns about young people and addictive substances. Only 4% of parents’ said trying drugs was their top concern, only 2% said smoking and a mere 1% said it was their child drinking alcohol.
Drinkaware chief executive Elaine Hindal, concluded:
"While issues such as bullying are quite rightly a huge worry for parents, there seems to be a lack of concern about alcohol and the pressure that some children face to drink. Many parents think it is inevitable that children will drink and consider it a rite of passage rather than something that can bring harm and have wide-reaching consequences. It's vital that parents take a proactive approach and initiate meaningful conversations with their children about the dangers of alcohol."
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