Pupils experiencing acts of abuse can now report them anonymously using a special app which is being rolled out to hundreds of schools in the UK.
Victims can screenshot abusive messages or even take photographs of bullies in action, and send them in via the innovative tootoot app. The reports will then be read by staff at the child’s school, but no one else.
The Department for Education recently announced that the tootoot app, which is an online platform that provides 24-hour support to young people, will benefit from the £4.4million government investment, along with nine similar apps.
As a result, 120,000 students across 300 schools will be able to use the programmes to report incidents such as cyberbullying, religious and homophobic abuse.
The scheme, run by Internet Matters, will also train 4,500 teachers and educate 60,000 parents about how to protect their children from cyberbullying. An online hub will provide thousands of children, parents and carers with support around the clock, including in the school holidays, with advice on tackling bullying and tips on how to block and report abuse on a range of online platforms.
Education Secretary Justine Greening said: “School should be a safe place where children can go to grow and learn. No child should ever be bullied, and apps like this now mean support for any child is only a click away.”
