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Let’s be honest; Cybercrime has emerged as one of the biggest modern-day crises. With the betterment of technology and improved accessibility of the Internet, cybercrimes and cyberbullying are concurrently on the cliff. For all of us, the focus of the Internet is socializing; however, most online interactions are positive, but some use technology to intimidate, harass and demean others. Needless to say, almost every internet user has faced cyberbullying knowingly or unknowingly at some point.
Certainly, the internet world has made it feasible for us to express our opinions and have them be heard; but it also opens up a whole new world of bullying. This piece of write-up intends to explain what it means to be on the internet and suffer bullying. Also, this strives to educate and help you deal with this biggest internet crisis today.
What is Cyberbullying?
Call it Cyber Bullying, Cyber harassment, or online bullying; it falls under the expansive umbrella of cybercrime. It is generally a core idea of ‘bullying,’ defined as – seeking to harm, threaten, or coerce someone sensed as vulnerable. Any individual or group aiming to hurt, bully, intimidate or threaten someone is known as a bully. Cyberbullying is a deliberate act carried out by a group or an individual; using the electronic medium, constantly against a vulnerable victim.
Cyberbullying basically occurs through digital gadgets like phones or computers, often over social media, texts, DMs, email, and gaming. It often involves sending or sharing harmful and mean content about someone to embarrass them.
Cyberbullying: A Teen’s point of view
When most grown-ups picture bullying, we often think about something that usually happens during school lunch breaks. Possibly one student pushes another in the corridor, or a group of kids teases a discerned “outsider.” No matter how exactly it happens, youth bullying is usually easy to spot. Yet, teens today are increasingly dealing with a different kind of bullying which is seemingly not easily noticeable. They are facing bullying on the Internet!
Certainly, cyberbullying is even worse than face-to-face bullying! Needless to say, back then the global stay-at-home expanded screen time seeking COVID-19 pandemic. Youths started spending more time online and consequently were more likely to fall victim to cyberbullying, and they still are!
If I have to consider a teen’s POV, here’s how it appears;
Almost all teens surely had known at least one person-probably even themselves, who was bullied when they were younger. In yesteryears, before the Internet, teens were more likely to be bullied physically by youths they knew. Bullying still happens but has changed over time; more precisely, it has been digitized, what we know as cyberbullying.
Statistical information
- About 37% of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have been bullied online.
- Girls are more likely to be the victims as well as the culprits of cyberbullying than boys.
- Almost 15% of young girls have been the target of at least four different kinds of abusive online behaviors.
- Nearly half of LGBTQ+ pupils face online harassment at a rate higher than average.
- 60% of young people have witnessed online bullying; most do not speak up. Only 1 in 10 teens will inform parents or guardians of their abuse.
Apparently, as a child’s age increased, so did the likelihood of cyberbullying. In recent years, cyberbullying has become relatively common on the internet, often noted as a benefactor to several high-ranking suicides of immature adolescents.
What is considered cyberbullying?
Ugly. Stupid. Bitch. Fat. Whore. Dumb…
and whatnot!
Aren’t these the common terms you encounter almost every day in your DMs online? Sometimes they post embarrassing photos of you on social media platforms. They bully you online, so you start feeling horrendous at one point and dread every message, text, or call you get. Sorry to say, it is cyberbullying if you face any of these;
Framing: where a person accesses one’s social media profile and impersonates them to ruin their online and offline reputation.
Dissing: sharing or posting offensive information online to ruin one’s reputation.
Trolling: insulting an individual online to provoke enough to get a response and continue offending.
Catfishing: steals one’s online identity to re-creates social networking profiles for nefarious intents.
Phishing: manipulating one to reveal personal or financial information about themselves and their loved one.
Sexting: sending sexually explicit photographs or messages online; DMs are the most common place for this.
Blackmailing: anonymous emails, phone calls, and private messages are often done to an individual with secrets to fulfill the demands. This generally occurs using one’s private Photographs or video. The threat is given to share them publicly unless the victim relents with a special demand.
Stalking: a.k.a Online stalking is when a person publicly shares her personal information, and stalkers then can send personal messages, even mysterious gifts to the address provided or even more.
The adverse effects of Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying implies that victims commonly manifest psychological problems like; anxiety, depression, loneliness, low self-esteem, social exclusion, school and work phobias, and poor academic and work performance.
In fact, at a young age, cyberbullying negatively affects both the victim and the bully. Victims, as well as the bully who endure and perform frequent cyberbullying, experience a decline in academic performance; and meet nothing but difficulties in every aspect of life. The common effects of cyberbullying are;
- Depression
- Anger and sickness
- Suicidal Ideation
- Substance Abuse
- Self-esteem Problems
- Interpersonal Situations
- Academic, Career Problems, and family issues
Rember help is available!
Cyberbullying happens to people of all ages; in fact, trolling is often the grown-up expansion of cyberbullying! So if you’re a teen or a grown-up have been going through cyberbullying or trolling, you’re not alone. There are ways to get out of it; here’s what you can do;
Never feed the trolls; Block, block, block!
You’ll entertain them more; they’ll bully you more; block them right away! Don’t hesitate to use that block button; it is meant for causes like this; just hit it!
Report to the platform
If it’s happening on social media or a gaming platform, take screenshots or recordings before you block and report it. This helps the online medium to find and even kick off the lawbreaker.
Report to the police if needed
Considering where you live and the harshness of cyberbullying, you can report the incident to your local law enforcement; if you feel so. In case you worry about your physical safety, you can consider filing a police report.
If nothing, then go private on social media for a while
I understand, dear, it sucks to go private because of someone, but sometimes it’s necessary for your own good!
You can do this!
We’re digital citizens, spending most of our time online; thus, we need to figure out how to coexist without cyberbullying or trolling. You can always be a part of anti-bullying organizations and campaigns to educate people and yourself to eradicate cyberbullying.
You no longer have to nurture the culprit hiding behind your screen.There’s a need to shut that window of bullying—which none of us require! There’s not to be dread or ashamed of; talk it out… Talk to someone you trust and save your mental peace and life as well.
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