Cyber bullying among Adolescents and Youth

{What is Cyberbulling?}

 

With improving technology a new forms of violence are coming to the picture. Cyber bullying is a newer type of violence among adolescents and youth which refers bullying via electronic communication tools including the internet, cell phones and Personal Digital Assistants. Cyber bullying can be briefly defined as ‘sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the internet or other digital communication devices’ (Willard, 2004). Cyber bullying can come in different forms, such as: Instant messaging, that is sent to people in order to threaten them; Stealing other people’s passwords which always leads to access to any information the victim didn’t want to share in the first place, in addition to having access to the victim’s photos; Asking questions by using some social network websites such as in which the bully asks whatever questions because he always appears as an anonymous person to the victim; Spreading rumors about the victim on the internet.  Cyber bullying can involve stalking and death threats and can be very serious. Unlike face-to-face bullying, people often feel that cyberspace is impersonal and they can therefore say whatever they want. Further, it is reported that females prefer this type of bullying (Nelson, 2003). Cyber bullying has been proven to be a one of most destructive mode of bullying, being victims are easily accessed by cyber bullies. Parents and teachers have not realized the extreme effects of cyber bullying could have on adolescents and youth.
 
The problem with cyber bullying is that it is a kind of using the technological era to send out messages as a tool to harm another person, and this act does not require a specific time, it can go through the whole 24 hours of the day, which make it more difficult to avoid as the verbal or the physical types of bullying. Cyber bullying is a tool that is usually used by teenagers and young adults; because they take it as a kind of showing their power over others with the benefits of not being identified, so they will always be anonymous for the person they are bullying which will make the percentage of them being caught very low.
 
Two previous research studies in Canada have examined the extent and impact of cyber bullying (Beran & Li, 2005). Studies revealed that cyber bullying has become a significant problem as about one in four adolescents are cyber victims and they experience various negative consequences, particularly anger and sadness. More than a half of adolescents reported that they knew someone being cyber bullied. In addition, a close tie has been identified amongst bullies, cyber bullies and their victims. Bullies, compared to non-bullies, tend to be cyber bullies, while bully victims in the physical world were also likely to be bully victims in cyberspace. Further, cyber bullies were more likely to be victims in cyberspace than those who did not cyber bully.  A study conducted in Canada by Quin Li in year 2006 among 264 high school adolescents (grade 7 to 9) revealed approximately  half of the students(50%) were bully victims and about one in four (25%) students had been cyber bullied. Over 34 % of the students had bullied others (perpetration) in the traditional form, and almost 17 %had bullied others using electronic communication tools. In addition, 53.6% of the students reported that they knew someone being cyber bullied (Beran & Li, 2005). 
 
{Consequences of cyber bullying}
 

Cyber bullying is more difficult to be forgotten by the victim like the verbal or the physical bullying, because once it is written down it can’t be taken back easily, it will be on paper, e-mail, Face book and everywhere and that’s what make the cyber bullying more dangerous. Cyber bullying if not tackled and prevented in Sri Lanka it might lead to a suicidal turn, and if not it will lead to other effects, such as:

  • •Victims may suffer from psychological distress.
  • •Withdrawal from the daily social activity day after the other until the victim reaches a point where they don’t feel comfortable within the social life at all.
  • •Not being able to control their emotions or anger.
  • •Victims may avoid any gatherings.
  • •Over time, bullying can lead to the victim losing his/her own self-esteem, and facing depression

{Cyber bullying in Sri Lanka}

It is believed to be that cyber bullying in Sri Lanka is at very low rate, which is not truth. Increased trend of Cyber bullying has been observed with increasing usage of the social media websites especially face book. A study carried out among 13-15 year old adolescents in Sri Lanka has shown that adolescents using new technology as a mode of bullying  and therefore  “Cyber bullying in Sri Lanka” is an area yet to be explored in detail in Sri Lankan setting (Wijeratne, 2012).

 

 
In contrast to Western countries, cyber bullying in Sri Lanka, mostly occur due to love or sexual relationships. As an example, boys bully girls to revenge for ending the love affairs. Posting sexual comments on the bodies of the girls and referring to them with derogatory terms as “sluts”, they even insult the girl’s family; ethnicity and religion are done by boys using social media like face book has become a frequent method of bullying. Consequences of these types of bullying activities could be very serious on adolescents, sometime these incidents have caused to suicides.
 
It is actually real life stories of bullying and cyber bullying that brings how harsh these can be. Hence we share cyber bullying stories of victims and survivors, so that others can be better educated on this serious problem. This kind of bullying usually comes when a boy posts or shares a nude picture of his ex-girlfriend on the social media network, or worse when they use editing tools to make pornographic pictures look like the girls they are bullying.
 
Cyber –bullying stories in Sri Lanka
 
Sumudu, the 15 year old girl who committed suicide at her home after she was reprimanded by her school principal over a picture that was posted on Facebook of her with one of her male classmates. Sumudu’s mother says that the principal was informed about the picture through an anonymous note that he received. Her mother also mentioned that Sumudu committed suicide and hanged herself because she felt ashamed and she didn’t want to bring her father more shame than she already did, or that what she thought in the note that she left on the day of the incident. The National Child Protection Authority which is responsible to protect children from any acts of abuse is investigating the incident with the school Principal and they said that the picture of Sumudu only showed her with her male classmate at a school trip walking down a small narrow street and smiling straight at the camera.
 

{Cyber Bullying Stories in other countries}

Jeni:  Cyber bullying is especially difficult for children or teens that are already having difficulty fitting in or navigating the confusing world of social interactions. Jeni was just such a girl. Spending much of her childhood overweight and dealing with Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) had already set Jeni apart from many of her peers. She had struggled with her weight and her ADHD aggravated compulsiveness.

The beginning of eighth grade had looked a lot more positive for Jeni, though. She had lost some weight and through MySpace, she had met a new boy, Josh that really seemed to like her. However, she had also lost a girlfriend who lived nearby, and the two were often bickering at school and on the bus. When Jeni began to suspect her ex-best friend of telling Josh terrible things about her, she quickly spiraled into depression. Jeni’s mother Tina tried to help her daughter distance herself from Josh and the ex-best friend, but Jeni’s ADHD caused her to compulsively check her MySpace and to continue to retaliate which only fed the cyber bullying situation.
 
As Jeni’s fourteenth birthday approached she became more unstable as it became obvious that no one was planning to attend her party because of things they had read about her on MySpace. On the afternoon before her birthday, Jeni became enraged over what was being posted. Her mother had to forcibly remove her from the computer and sent her to her room. Her mother, Tina, began preparing dinner, but by the time she went to get her daughter for dinner, young Jeni had hung herself in her closet.
 
The most disturbing part of this example of Cyber Bullying Stories is that Jeni’s MySpace boyfriend, Josh, never existed. It was an imaginary account created by the parents of Jeni’s ex-best friend. This is an instance when adults, not children, are the culprits of cyber bullying so severe that it resulted in an already troubled young person committing suicide. Cyber bullying is a real problem that results in really traumatizing consequences for all involved.
 
Although suicide is an extreme result of this example of Cyber Bullying Stories it is an actuality that parents, teachers and caregivers cannot deny. The only remedy for cyber bullying is action. When cyber bullying escalates from mere online bickering into real cyber harassment, children and teens need their parents to stand up for them and take action that will put an end to the abuse.
 
The first line of defense is to cut off the access that a cyber-bully has to your child. You are in control of your child’s online life. You must demand that your wishes be respected, and you must be willing to take whatever measure is necessary to protect your child from the abuse. Some children and teens will be resistant to a parent taking control in this way, but this is an instance where you must be the adult and take charge.
 
Justine: Fourteen year old Justine never imagined that she would become a victim of cyber bullying. Justine was no stranger to personal challenges, but her experience with cyber bullying was really something she was not prepared for. Justine had spent months battling cancer, and after she was told that her cancer was in remission, she felt certain that her struggles were behind her. That was until she began to receive threatening email messages from a mysterious cyber bully. The threatening messages continued and continued until Justine’s in box held ninety messages. The messages ranged from merely rude to downright frightening. Once the messages escalated into things like, “I’m going to rape you,” Justine’s parents decided to take the issue to the police. The police were quickly able to trace the messages back to Justine’s classmate and surprisingly best friend. The courts required the cyber bully to attend counseling sessions and to write Justine a formal letter of apology. Though, Justine’s family felt that this punishment was likely too lenient, they were glad that their action did result in a positive outcome. This story is a great example of how taking action can lead to results.  
 
Above stores show only the tip of the iceberg, but it is evident that cyber bullying is occurring daily everywhere people have access to social media. With advancing technology, no one can deny the access to social media, but what we can do is educating and directing the young people to safe use of this modern technology, without being subjected to any harm. 
 
 
 
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