We were informed by the girl’s parents about the dramatic situation that affected their child.

– For two years, my daughter has been receiving signals from her peers that she does not fit in with the group – her father says. – My daughter tried to defend herself, but a group of children formed and began attacking her; it took the form of a lynching. We managed to calm the situation through ordinary educational discussions: with teachers and parents. I also spoke privately about it with the children’s parents, and it seemed that the situation had calmed down. The limit was reached in April this year. My daughter left school in tears. She said that boys from her class, a group of four, were following her and urging her to commit suicide; they told her, “kill yourself” and “you slut.” She said she could not take it anymore and did not want to go to school. She was afraid – the parent says.

After this incident, the parent filed an official complaint with the school administration, reporting serious peer harassment. He also raised the alarm on social media about systematic peer violence at the school. Both in the media and in the letter to the administration, the parent called for the protection of students’ mental health and an end to the cycle of violence at the institution.

The school responds to the parent’s appeal

– We held a meeting at the school with the teaching staff – the father reports. – At my request, they declared in writing what measures would be taken to prevent such behavior toward my daughter, but also toward all the children. The perpetrators and their parents also met with the school counselor, as the principal informed us at the meeting. My daughter returned to school after a week. It was her decision. She is not being harassed. We will see what happens next – the parent adds.

The Education Authority confirms that it has a record of the meeting with the parents, which took place at the primary school in Nowogrodziec and was conducted by the school principal. We are awaiting information about the decisions the education superintendent will make in this matter.

We also contacted the school principal. Below is his statement:

The principal of Bolesław Chrobry Primary School in Nowogrodziec informs us that the institution’s priority is to ensure students’ complete safety and protect their privacy. Out of concern for the well-being and peace of the minors, the school is not providing detailed comments or information concerning the situation. At the same time, we assure you that all necessary measures provided for by the procedures have been taken to guarantee students safe learning conditions and the necessary support.

Alarming conclusions about hate among children

The Polish edition of the international study EU Kids Online 2026 shows that in almost half of cases (49.9%), the perpetrator of aggression is a fellow student from the same school.

The publication documents representative analyses of the digital experiences of students aged 10–16, focusing on the evolution of their online behavior in recent years. The authors describe the research methodology in detail, including rigorous ethical standards and cooperation with entities such as Fundacja Orange and the Ombudsman for Children.

The most important online risks for children

Risks in the digital environment are diverse and often connected with a child’s functioning in the traditional, offline world.

  • Harmful content: Young people are exposed to content promoting self-harm (40.5%), methods of suicide (over 30%), graphic violence and restrictive diets (ways to become very thin). Exposure to this content is largely unintentional and results from the operation of algorithms.
  • Aggression and hate speech: Although peer violence still occurs more often face to face, cyberbullying (often connected with school relationships) and hate speech are common experiences. More than 60% of respondents encountered hate speech during the past year.
  • Privacy and data-security risks: These experiences include unauthorized use of private data (12.4%), password hacking (7.3%) and location tracking (6.4%).
  • Economic risks: The most common problematic situation is spending excessive amounts of money on online applications and games (16.1%), which is linked to mechanisms encouraging impulse purchases.
  • Risks related to sexuality: More than 26% of teenagers received sexually explicit messages, while nearly 18% encountered requests to share their own intimate materials.
  • Excessive internet use: For a minority, but a significant group of students, internet use is associated with loss of control, anxiety when access is unavailable, and neglect of sleep, food or school responsibilities.