How Does Bullying Happen on the Internet? Total Security Software

 

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying, trolling, mobbing - until recently, no one knew these words, but today bullying on the Internet has become a matter of concern at the state level. In schools, on the initiative of the Federation Council Commission on the Development of the Information Society, a "single security lesson" was held on the Internet. Separately, teachers spoke about harassment and bullying on social networks.

 What Happened?

Facebook has relaunched the Bullying Prevention Center, a resource that aims to help users avoid online attacks against themselves and others. We decided that this is a good reason to talk about whether there is such a problem and why bullying is dangerous.

We are talking about bullying - perhaps the English word reflects the essence a little more accurately. Bullying has many definitions. In short, bullying refers to the aggressive pursuit of one or more team members when the balance of power between the persecutor and the victim is unequal. Harassment usually refers to insults, ridicule, conspicuous disregard, humiliation, and beatings. Bullying is often not a one-time event.

With the advent of the Internet, bullying often occurs on social networks, forums, emails, instant messengers, chats in online games, and so on.  And there are a few more terms that describe specific types of bullying - trolling, outing, and others.

They post humiliating cartoons, publish humiliating photos or videos, come up with offensive nicknames, spread humiliating rumours about the victims. This type of bullying is quite popular among teenagers: they post a photo and phone number of the victim, declaring on his or her behalf that the owner of the number is providing sexual services.

Sometimes people are bombarded with comments or personal messages with insults and threats. It happens that people write messages on behalf of the victim to her relatives, colleagues or teachers - this is also a common way of bullying.

Why is it Dangerous?

Any bullying - including cyberbullying - is dangerous for the psychological health of victims. Research shows that bullying often leads children and adolescents to depression and other disorders, low self-esteem, and isolation. They think about suicide more often, and sometimes it really comes to suicide.

Is cyberbullying widespread 

Yes, and very broadly. The situation is frightening among children and adolescents. the leaders in terms of cyberbullying among schoolchildren. According to a Microsoft study, nearly half of children and adolescents aged 8 to 17 surveyed said they were being bullied. According to this indicator, ranked fifth among 25 states.

According to a WHO study, among eleven-year-old children, 11% of boys and 8% of girls have experienced bullying - they were abused in messages at least two to three times a month. This is the highest rate among 42 countries (average - 3-4%). A 2012 study confirms that schoolchildren in often suffer from bullying on the Internet - 10% on average across the country (in Europe - 6%).

At the same time, studies show that teachers in schools pay much less attention to the problem of cyberbullying than in other countries. And schoolchildren themselves are much less likely to tell their parents about their difficulties than their peers in Europe.

What is Worse - Regular Bullying or Cyberbullying?

Both are bad. But perhaps the worst combination of these types of bullying - for example, a student is first stalked at school, and then on the Internet and over the phone. Research shows that these are related phenomena - those who are cyberbullying often have experience of common bullying. . Let's say a child can take a break from school ridicule and bully at home. Cyberbullies can chase the victim around the clock.

How to Avoid Cyberbullying?

First, there are many different technical solutions. Facebook, VKontakte and other social networks allow you to get rid of unpleasant comments and messages using the settings. You can also prevent people from tagging themselves in posts and photos. In the end, bullies can simply be blocked. Besides, if someone insults you or your child on a social network, you can complain to the resource administration using the "Report" button.

Secondly, there are more general recommendations. It is important for victims of cyberbullying not to be left alone with the persecution - they need to share with someone. There are non-standard ways: for example, Elena Klimova, the founder of the Children-404 project for LGBT adolescents, regularly received insults and threats on the Internet and began to collect a special gallery - portraits of offenders and their statements. According to her, this also worked as a defence mechanism: people were afraid to get into this gallery.

Teenagers are advised to seek support from teachers and parents, and parents of teenagers are advised to monitor what the child is doing on the Internet and be ready to help them in a difficult situation. Unfortunately, it often happens that children do not want to tell their parents about such things, and the adults themselves do not notice the problems. Therefore, it would be good to at least keep in mind that cyberbullying exists and can lead to serious psychological difficulties. has a hotline for teenagers facing online harassment

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