GROWING up is an exciting time but it can sometimes be difficult. You can feel pressure to look a certain way, you can have arguments with your friends and you can worry about homework.

Government education minister, Nick Gibb writes for First News…

What’s different from when I was growing up is that most young people will now have a mobile phone and will probably go online regularly.

The internet is an exciting place to stay in touch with friends and learn about the world. But being online isn’t always a positive experience.

I work with many anti-bullying charities and have heard stories about cyberbullying, so I know how cruel that can be.

I also want to make sure young people know how to stay safe online – something I know that First News has talked about a lot.

Relationships and sex education in schools

That’s why we have changed the law so that all primary schools will have to teach children about relationships and all secondary schools have to teach about relationships and sex education. We want to make sure schools give young people the right information to help them make decisions about issues affecting your lives.

As part of that, we want to hear from as many people as possible about the issues they think ought to be taught in these subjects. That will help us make sure these lessons are as useful as possible, and are suitable for children and young people of school age.

We know that online bullying is a big issue. In 2016, Childline reported an 88% increase in children seeking help for online bullying over the previous five years. Bullying of any kind can make people feel very sad and lonely, and it can affect their self-confidence.

What do you think should be taught?

It’s important we all help to stamp it out, so we are keen to hear from First News readers about how we can use these classes to teach respect and acceptance of one another.

We also want to know what information young people need to know about staying safe online, so that the internet continues to be a fun, exciting place.

It can be difficult to talk about these issues but it’s important that everyone knows how they should be treated and how to treat each other – both online and in the real world – so that we have happy, healthy relationships.

TELL THE GOVERNMENT WHAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE TAUGHT! We want to hear your views on this, and so does the Government. Comment below and we will pass your views on to education minister Nick Gibb.