Table of Contents
What is cyberbullying?
Bullying is aggressive behavior aimed at controlling or harming others. Bullying is characterized by the repetition of violent behavior: the harassment must occur more than once or have the potential to be repeated to qualify as bullying.
In addition, for harassment to be considered bullying, there must be an apparent imbalance of power between the victim and the perpetrator(s) and the harassment must be sustained over a period of time.
Cyberbullying is only bullying that occurs electronically (i.e. any form of electronic communication, such as text or online messages, websites, social media, email, etc.).
Some of the behaviors that are considered cyberbullying include:
- exclusion
- harassment
- outing
- cyberstalking
- identity theft
- dissing
- “Trolling” (deliberately provoking a negative reaction)
- “Catfishing” (using fake profiles to fool others)
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Who is affected by cyberbullying?
According to a 2018 Google poll, teachers cited cyberbullying as the top online problem faced by children in the classroom. With the advancement of technology and the advent of social media, today’s youth are bringing home their bullies. Home has become a whole new battleground where bullies have anonymity and regular direct access to their victims.
A 2019 study found that nearly 37% of American children between the ages of 12 and 17 said they had been bullied or harassed online and through social media. However, according to the National Crime Prevention Council, just over 10% of these victims report the incidents.
Where does cyberbullying happen?
Cyberbullying takes place on virtually every social media platform. Facebook, with its 2.8 billion active users, has been the social network most used by bullies in recent years (although many teenagers today tend to turn to other platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat). The minimum age to access Facebook is 13, but there have been over 7.5 million users under this age… One can only imagine how much this number has grown over the past decade.
Age restrictions on these social media platforms are rarely enforced. Many argue that young children are not socially and emotionally mature enough to appreciate the consequences of what they post online or send to others via private messaging, but there are also many parents who are largely indifferent to using these sites for their children.
Statistics on the use of social media by teenagers
According to a 2018 Pew Research Center article:
- 95% of young people have access to a smartphone and 45% report being online “almost all the time”.
- Facebook’s percentage of young users dropped from 71% to 51% between 2014 and 2018.
- In 2018, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat were the most popular online platforms among teens (by a large margin).
How can cyberbullying be stopped or avoided?
The only way to completely prevent cyberbullying is to have no online presence, which is difficult to do nowadays. However, there are some ways you can change your online settings and behavior to reduce the likelihood of cyberbullying.
Keep your profiles set to private.
Check and update your privacy settings regularly.
Do not ask for friendship and do not follow anyone who is not your friend.
Do not accept requests or messages from users you do not know.
Never share your passwords.
Prevent others from accessing your profiles and private photos.
Educate yourself and others about the negative effects of cyberbullying.
If you see it, report it.
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Cyber-aggression and social skills
An important point that can be drawn from the data is the strong negative correlation between cyberaggression and social competence. Researchers of one study summarized their findings by saying, “There is a clear association between aggression towards electronic media and problems at (at least) four different levels of social functioning.” This study argues that cyber assault is dangerous not only for the victim but also for the attacker.
How is cyberbullying related to social media addiction?
The cyberbullying practice has also been studied as a predictor of social media addiction. Machimbarrena et al. (2021) found that adolescents who engage in cyberbullying are 7.6 times more likely to engage in behaviors associated with social media addiction than adolescents who do not engage in cyberbullying [21].
What is the other meaning of cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about another person. This may include sharing personal or private information about another person in a way that embarrasses or humiliates them. In some cases, cyberbullying extends to illegal or criminal behavior.
What are the causes and effects of cyberbullying?
The effects of cyberbullying are similar to those of physical bullying: depression, anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem, poor academic performance, and in some cases even suicide.
How can you prevent online abuse?
Protect all your passwords and password-protect your phone. Don’t answer, that plays into the hands of the bully. Talk to a friend, family member, or someone you trust about what happened and how it makes you feel. Keep troubling emails, messages, and posts as evidence when reporting bullying.
How can we stop online abuse?
Block, Disable, Report
The first way to respond to online bullying is to work on the platform where the harassment took place. Ban: Most social media sites allow you to silence the perpetrators by banning their accounts and preventing them from seeing your profile or communicating with you in any way.
What are the causes of social media abuse?
According to experts, teenagers are most at risk of becoming addicted for three basic reasons: their propensity for impulsive behavior, their need for widespread and growing social influence, and finally the need to validate their group identity.
What is cyberbullying summary?
cyberbullying d. H. intentional and repeated harm through the use of electronic devices, includes threatening, harassing, humiliating, or socially excluding an individual through the use of online technology.
What are the factors of cyberbullying?
While low self-esteem is typically associated with traditional bullying, many cyberbullies exhibit high self-esteem because they find their relationships with their peers satisfying. However, feelings of loneliness and perceived insecurity at school have been commonly associated with cyberbullying.
What is the theory of cyberbullying?
At the individual level, risk factors for cyberbullying victimization include: low self-esteem, self-control, social intelligence, low empathy, high levels of anxiety, aggression, moral withdrawal, and has been a victim of traditional bullying (Kowalski et al., 2019).
What is the purpose of cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is bullying using digital technologies. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms, and mobile phones. It is repetitive behavior designed to startle, upset, or embarrass the target.
How does cyberbullying affect students’ mental health?
Cyberbullying affects everyone’s self-esteem. Cyberbullying is similar to traditional bullying in that victims of cyberbullying often report mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, feelings of alienation, lack of concentration, and suicidal thoughts (Kowalski et al., 2012).
How does cyberbullying cause mental health?
The added stress of dealing with cyberbullying on a regular basis can rob them of their happiness and fulfillment. It can also increase feelings of worry and isolation. Cyberbullying can also erode confidence and self-esteem and contribute to depression and anxiety.
What are the effects of online harassment?
Several studies have shown that the risk of mental health symptoms increases among young people who have experienced cyberbullying or online harassment. These can include depression, isolation, anxiety, and dissociation. Young people who are harassed online are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts.
How social media affects our lives?
The dark side of social media
However, several studies have found a strong association between heavy social media use and an increased risk of depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Social media can encourage negative experiences such as imperfections in one’s life or appearance.
Is Social Media Abuse a Crime?
Social media crimes
Social media offenses can be prosecuted under the Malicious Communication Act 1988 and the Communications Act 2003. Online threats can take many forms, including a threat to kill, harm, or commit a crime against an individual, group of individuals, or organization.
