WHAT IS CYBERBULLYING? MEANING, EFFECTS, PREVENTIVE MEASURES

CYBERBULLYING

Cyber bullying is the harassment or bullying behaviour which someone uses to hurt another mentally executed through digital devices like computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. In this modern digital ecosphere there are numerous platforms where cyber bullying can occur. These are connected ecosphere where people can view and participate in sharing of content like social media, chatrooms, and gaming platforms.
Cyber bullying or Online bullying can be very much damaging and upsetting because it's usually anonymous or hard to trace. Another aspect is that these spread like wildfire and is not just limited to a local area as it is available for the whole world to see.
These are impossible to control, and the person being victimized has no idea how many people have seen the messages or posts. Since nothing can removed from the internet completely, they are tormented nonstop whenever they check their device or computer.
Online bullying and harassment are easier as everything is at your fingertip. These acts are even worse than bullying in some respects because the bully doesn't have to confront or meet the person. This arrogant behaviour will have a long-lasting physiological impact on the victim.

Cyberbullying generally occurs where there is sharing involved and these include:

Social Media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter
Message sent through devices
Instant Messaging services like WhatsApp, We Chat
Online gaming Chatrooms

TYPES OF CYBERBULLYING

There are different types of cyberbullying and understanding all these types of cyber bullying is necessary. Knowing all the ways a bully could attack enables parents and young adults to adopt measures to prevent and even report cyber bullying. The following are some of the common types of cyberbullying.

Posting hurtful comments about an individual online
Spreading humiliating rumours over social media platforms
Publishing an embarrassing, nasty or dirty photo or video online
Creating a fake webpage about another individual with nasty content
Provoking an individual to kill themselves or hurt someone else
Threatening someone or issuing online threats
content triggering religious belief.
Posting hate comments based on racial, ethnic or political differences online
Posting private information about another individual
Faking an identity online to ask for or post personal or fake information about someone

Doxing is one of the most common form of cyberbullying. It is a practice of researching and publishing personal information about an individual without their knowledge.
One obtains information from the person’s social media accounts and other online profiles or steals the private information. It is then used for blackmail, online harassment, defamation and other forms of cyber bullying.

EFFECTS OF CYBERBULLYING

Sometimes, online bullying, like other kinds of bullying, can lead to serious long-lasting problems. Bullying if allowed to continue or failed to stop it will lead to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health. The stress of being in a constant state of upset or fear can lead to problems with mood, energy level, sleep, and appetite.
The physiological impacts of cyberbullying may lead to varying mental health issues like anger, drugs or substance abuse, and even suicide in extreme cases. If someone is already sad, depressed or anxious, cyberbullying can only make things much worse.
Cyberbullying alone is not the cause of suicide among kids but there are many underlying issues that contribute towards the suicide risk. Mental health issues created as a result of depression, problems at home, medications and trauma history could also contribute to suicide and other extreme behaviours.
This health risk increases when one doesn’t speak on the issues, he/ she faces or not getting support from parents, peers, and schools.
Schools generally take actions like dismiss or suspend guilty students from school, from sports teams. or other methods prescribed in the school policy. Sometimes the cyberbully may face serious legal trouble if the bully violates school codes or even break anti-discrimination or sexual harassment laws.

HOW TO PREVENT CYBERBULLYING
Cyberbullying can have drastic outcomes not just the person being bullied but also the bully. The punishment for cyberbullies can be serious if found responsible or guilty. Nowadays more and more schools have various awareness programs and after-school meetings for creating systems to respond to cyberbullying.
Now almost all schools have laws in place to counter bullying as well as cyberbullying. Schools will act either as required by law or according to school policies, these allow them to discipline or take other action.
Creating awareness through classes, talking about what cyberbullying is and how to be safe when surfing online. Educating kids that cyberbullying is unacceptable from an early age will help them carry these values throughout their life. Making sure the kids know how to get help is as important as teaching them about cyberbullying.
Having an open dialogue with students and creating trust through open communication. Listening and checking in with kids often as a friend would help in reducing the barrier.

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KEEP AN EYE OUT
In this digital world, children are growing up with technology at their fingertips and they have limited understanding of the good and the bad. With the rise in social media and other online platforms cyber bullying have become a household occurrence. Teenagers and adolescents are more likely to be victims of cyberbullying and they are also the most vulnerable.
In order to prevent cyberbullying parents should keep an eye out and monitor your child’s online activities. It is the responsibility of the parents to be aware of the threats in order to prevent cyber bullying.
Parents should ensure that you are aware of the apps and social media that the child is using. An addiction to computers, online gaming, and smartphones is common among children and it is important that your child engages more in offline activities.

IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Keep an eye out and see if your child is acting different than normal, the reasons for the signs could be that your child is being cyber bullied or is cyber bullying others. Watch out if there is considerable increase or decrease in your child’s usage of a mobile, laptop or tablet.
If something in your child’s behaviour seems odd or out of character and these emotional responses like sadness, anger or happiness could be linked to the activities on their device. Monitor your child social media accounts and see if they are showing signs of depression and withdrawal linked with internet usage.
The frequency of internet usage and tendencies like hiding of the device screen when others are close, avoiding discussion on their online activities and non-participation of social activities and gatherings are to taken seriously.

WHAT CAN BE DONE
If you see these warning signs exhibited by your child, it could be due to their involvement in some form of cyber bullying. It is essential that you take all necessary steps to show your support to your child experiencing cyber bullying and in case of the unfortunate event like cyber bullying it is imperative that you report to the authority.
The following are some of the things that you can do in case your child or kin is a victim of cyber bullying.

Warning signs

Look out for warning signs that may point towards problems, such as avoidance of school or other social situations, lost or destroyed personal items and changes in eating habits. However, not all victims of cyberbullying exhibit the same warning signs, they may go to great lengths to hide it. This is where paying attention and looking for signs is most important and try to self-investigate the causes and note if these changes usually take place during the use of digital devices.

Communicate

Engage with your child daily and ask questions that encourage conversation. Don’t try to be demanding but gently engage your child in a conversation without invading their privacy. Having an open dialogue and creating trust through open communication is important in trying to understand what is happening. Listen and check in with your child often as a friend would help in reducing the barrier.

Monitor

Identify the problem is the first step of resolving the issue. Monitor and document events and circumstances with as much detail and see if cyber bullying is happening. Try to maintain a record of the online activities and if possible isolate offensive and harmful content or post as screenshots. In any case, evidence of online activities is mandatory when reporting cyber bullying.

Support

Getting appropriate authorities involved in order to get professional help should be the top priority. Be careful not to give any advice beyond your level of expertise. Dealing with cyber bullying is time consuming and the with the nature of internet stopping it is hard. In such cases, the victim needs support and guidance. It could come from parents, peers, family members or teachers. If required, seek the help of a professional counsellor.

Report

All social media platforms have clear guidelines that regulate most negative activities on their platform and an option to report cyber bullying. Once you report the social media platforms can help you in having the offensive post removed. Social media platforms will review your request and if they find the rules or guidelines are broken. In case your child is receiving sexual or physical threats and if you sense an illegitimate activity or crime underway immediately register a complaint with the police.

To report cyber bullying in India, you can send your complaint to complaint-mwcd@gov.in.

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