The media is increasingly covering a wide range of topics related to internet censorship, such as the tracking of child pornography rings on the internet, calls to shut down racist forums, court orders to take down hateful Facebook pages involving alleged criminals, and calls to control bullying and offensive behavior. It should come as no surprise that discriminatory behaviors that exist “offline” in real life also exist “online” (Sonone et al., 2021). As part of its legislative obligation to combat discrimination and defend human rights, the Commission must concentrate on online behaviors such cyberbullying, cyberracism, sexism/sexual harassment, and homophobia.
The horse walked in the middle of the road by Sensual Shadows photography CC BY-NC 2.0
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying is arguably the most well-known example of “online” hostility. The use of technology by an individual (or group of individuals) to regularly and intentionally employ hurtful words and/or acts against a person, causing them grief and endangering their health, is known as cyberbullying. With 91% of Australian youth aged 14 to 17 going online weekly in June 2010, this demographic used the internet the most (Fauman, 2008).
At least one in ten students in Australia experience cyberbullying:
- The entitlement to the best physical and mental health standards possible: Bullying may impair a person’s physical and emotional health, leading to physical injuries, illnesses linked to stress, depression, and other health issues.
- The right to a job and decent working circumstances: Bullying can result in increased absence rates, subpar or reduced performance, and hazardous working conditions.
- Freedom of expression and the unrestricted right to have beliefs are both impacted by bullying since victims no longer feel secure expressing their thoughts or opinions.
Additionally, there are an equal number of instances of online sexism. In the 2012 workplace sexual harassment survey conducted by the Commission, 17% of respondents reported receiving sexually explicit emails and texts, and 4% reported encountering repeated or inappropriate approaches in emails, social networking sites, and online chat rooms (Jönsson et al., 2017). Other instances of internet sexism and sexual harassment include “snapping,” in which males photograph unaware women’s private parts while they are out in public and upload the images to sites that are open to the whole public. An online petition that features pictures of young girls posing in images that have previously been published on their own social media profiles is another instance of online misogyny. These pictures were then posted on a page named “12 year old whores” and classified as indecent.
Cyber bulling facts by Kaspersky
The current state of cyberbullying during covid-19
Schools throughout the world were shuttered for a significant portion of 2020 owing to COVID-19’s global expansion. As a result, the internet developed into a crucial tool for students to learn independently online, contact with instructors, and establish connections with their classmates. The majority of children were able to resume some sort of face-to-face instruction this year with the reopening of schools. Unfortunately, as kids and teenagers become more dependent on digital gadgets, the increase in screen time that happened during the epidemic has yet to go down. In actuality, 70% of parents believe that their kids watch television on average for four hours every day, up from 60% of parents who believed that their kids watched television on average for three hours or less every day before the epidemic (Salazar, 2018). An increase in cyberbullying, a sort of bullying that spreads through cellphones, computers, and other digital devices, is associated with an increase in screen time. Sending threatening or harmful text messages is also a kind of cyberbullying, as is publishing offensive images or words about other people on social media, disseminating false information online through live applications, group texts, and social media. The goal of cyberbullying is to instill fear, anxiety, anger, frustration, shame, fear, sadness, and even suicide thoughts in the victim or recipient. Cyberbullying is made more convenient by the ability to communicate, share, and disseminate these photos, films, and texts without having to face the target directly. This type of “online harassment is both public and lasting,” in the words of clinical psychologist and iparent101.com creator, “virtual footprints,” exacerbates this disquiet and can cause years of distress, frequently negatively affecting mental health (Sonone et al., 2021).
Stop Harassing the Children by Overpass Light Brigade. CC BY-NC 2.0
Cyberbullies and victims
Only 15% of individuals admit to being a cyberbully, which shows that most people don’t grasp what cyberbullying actually is. Sixty-nine percent of people claim to have verbally abused someone online (Sonone et al., 2021). This lack of self-awareness is frequently accompanied with sensations of being overpowered by emotions like power or enthusiasm, which can obstruct empathy and self-awareness. Children and teenagers with developing brains find it particularly challenging to consider their feelings and understand how they fit into cyberbullying settings (Kowalski et al., 2014). When power is perceived online and there are little social signs available through digital communication, this lack of awareness is frequent (e.g., no disturbing facial expressions). In text-based communication, the traditional feedback loop of “what I just said/did plainly angered this person” is impaired and frequently absent. Because of this, cyberbullies are often unaware of the harm they cause to their victims while they go about their daily lives.
When someone experiences tremendous trauma or stress in their personal life, they frequently turn to cyberbullying. They could struggle to deal with the trauma properly, and one of the less healthy coping techniques is cyberbullying. This makes it more difficult for them to see and comprehend what they have done to other people (Bork-Hüffer et al., 2021). Cyberbullies are additionally empowered by the extra element of target separation since they do not see or immediately feel the effects of their actions on other people.
Prevention approaches
Social media platforms are essential for regulating the information flow in today’s networked environment. The General Assembly has voiced worry over these concerns, and several writers have sought to offer solutions to lessen or completely eradicate the possibility of Internet misuse in certain areas. But current events have made it necessary to take a closer look at how social media businesses and governmental organizations can make sure that these fundamental rights are appropriately safeguarded (Sonone et al., 2021). The protection of people’s right to privacy and freedom of speech might be seriously compromised by government control of social media platforms. Social media platforms are essential for regulating the information flow in today’s networked environment.
How to Beat Cyberbullies by Watchwellcast
Cyberbullying is a severe issue that has the potential to harm anybody. It’s critical that we all work together to eradicate cyberbullying in observance of Stop Cyberbullying Day. A truly diverse and inclusive Internet is promoted and celebrated on June 18 as part of Stop CyberBullying Day, an annual event that brings together academics, companies, educators, governments, Internet users, media, organizations, and public personalities from all over the world (Kowalski et al., 2014). For additional information about cyberbullying, both as a participant and as a victim, please visit A Global Day of Unity and Action.
Using privacy settings and technologies can help prevent cyberbullying. Regardless of what they do online, people need to be aware of the privacy settings and tools that companies offer. Almost every social networking site, including Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat, and TikTok, offers privacy settings. People who are familiar with these options may guide others nearby through each account and help them set the privacy options to the maximum level of protection. This includes logging out of accounts, banning tags, asking for permission before sharing someone else’s photo, and more (Bork-Hüffer et al., 2021).
The protection of personal information is also crucial. Email addresses, cell phone numbers, and addresses should not be disclosed online. They should exercise caution when disclosing too much personal information, especially if they have online acquaintances or following. People online aren’t always who they say they are. A profile photo of a teenage girl does not always indicate that the person behind the account is a teenage female. It’s possible that someone is gathering data on other adolescents by pretending to be a young girl.
References
Bork-Hüffer, T., Mahlknecht, B., & Kaufmann, K. (2021). (Cyber) Bullying in schools–when bullying stretches across cON/FFlating spaces. Children’s Geographies, 19(2), 241-253.
Fauman, M. A. (2008). Cyber bullying: Bullying in the digital age. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(6), 780-781.
Honjo, M., Hasegawa, T., Hasegawa, T., Mishima, K., Suda, T., & Yoshida, T. (2011, October). A framework to identify relationships among students in school bullying using digital communication media. In 2011 IEEE Third International Conference on Privacy, Security, Risk and Trust and 2011 IEEE Third International Conference on Social Computing (pp. 1474-1479). IEEE.
Jönsson, S., Muhonen, T., Cowen Forssell, R., & Bäckström, M. (2017). Assessing exposure to bullying through digital devices in working life: two versions of a cyberbullying questionnaire (CBQ). Psychology, 8(3), 477-494.
Kowalski, R. M., Giumetti, G. W., Schroeder, A. N., & Lattanner, M. R. (2014). Bullying in the digital age: a critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychological bulletin, 140(4), 1073.
Salazar, L. R. (2018). Workplace bullying in digital environments: Antecedents, consequences, prevention, and future directions.
Sonone, S. S., Sankhla, M. S., & Kumar, R. (2021). Cyber Bullying. In Combating the Exploitation of Children in Cyberspace: Emerging Research and Opportunities (pp. 1-18). IGI global.
