Social media is a perfect tool to connect with people. It is an opportunity to interact with the world at large and express opinions, thoughts and ideas freely. How free, however, do we feel when expressing ourselves? And is our freedom free from all judgement?
The answer is not a simple yes or a no. As long as this freedom helps us tell our stories, we can’t have enough of it. But the moment this freedom turns against us, we run for shelter.
The current social media landscape is rife with bullying and trolling, which makes you question the definition of freedom. Cyberbullying is touted as one of the most potent threats to individual wellbeing among active social media users. A celebrity or a regular Joe, no one is beyond it.
UNICEF defines cyberbullying as “bullying with the use of digital technologies” and further adds that “it can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones. It is repeated behaviour, aimed at scaring, angering or shaming those who are targeted.”
In recent years, India has witnessed a massive surge in the number of smartphone usage, especially among adolescents and young adults. According to a survey conducted by the Mobile Ecosystem Forum in 2019, the highest penetration rate among smartphone users was in the age group of 16 to 24 years. As more and more youngsters in India are getting hooked to smartphones and using social media apps on them, cases of cyberbullying are also on the rise. According to a study 2020 conducted by Child Rights and You (CRY), around 9.2 percent of 630 adolescents surveyed in the Delhi-NCR had experienced cyberbullying and only half of them reported it to teachers, guardians or social media companies.
An earlier report from 2018 that compiled data from 28 countries had shown that Indian youngsters are the most cyberbullied in the world. “Indian parents remained among the highest to express confidence that their children were cyberbullied at least sometimes, a number that only grew from 2011 to 2018,” read the report. A recent social media campaign also highlighted the issue of cyberbullying in India and asked citizens to counter the hate by supporting the victims.
As India grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become pertinent to address cyberbullying as physical classes have moved to digital platforms. Soulveda speaks to experts to dissect the myriad aspects of cyberbullying and understand the steps parents, teachers and teens—especially victims—can follow to lead the fight against the issue.
Understand why bullying happens online and offline
Before attempting to curb cyberbullying, it is critical to understand why it happens and how teenagers, parents and school authorities can step in to address the issue. According to clinical psychologist Dr Joy Banerjee, people indulge in cyberbullying because “they think that they are hiding from a place and they can say something.” He further adds, “You have to tell the victims that cyberbullying is done by people who do not have the strength or courage to talk to you face-front.” Banerjee says that a significant percentage of bullying happens on teenagers’ physical features and he recommends them to become more comfortable with their physiology and appearance.
On the other hand, child neuropsychologist Akila Sadasivan emphasises the need for communication between teens and adults, and teachers and students. She feels that teachers should address the mental health needs of teenagers to address offline bullying. “We are not aware of the mental health of the children that we deal with. We don’t see them as individuals who might carry a lot of psychological baggage. If teachers can tune into the psychological needs and understand what is developmentally okay and acceptable for the children, their conversations with them can change qualitatively,” she adds.
Sadasivan says that oftentimes teenagers don’t report instances of bullying because they don’t see it as such. She believes that bullying, in general, could be stopped if parents and teachers can communicate with teenagers about the signs of bullying, what they should look out for, how can they deal with it and when should they reach out to elders.
“Online predators leave digital footprints and they have a pattern. If we can identify that ahead of time and prevent it from happening, then nothing like it,” Sadasivan says.
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that takes place using digital technologies such as social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms, and mobile phones. It involves repeated behaviour aimed at scaring, angering, or shaming those who are targeted.
India has seen a significant increase in smartphone usage, particularly among adolescents and young adults. As more young people engage with social media apps and spend time online, cases of cyberbullying are on the rise.
Parents and guardians should monitor and regulate the time teenagers spend online. Establishing a schedule for internet usage, turning off Wi-Fi during certain hours, and ensuring teenagers do not communicate with strangers online or share personal information can help protect them from cyberbullying.
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