The first question that
arrives here in our minds is that what exactly is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is causing someone an
emotional setback by using the means of the internet, mobile phone, or any
other form of technology. This emotional setback can be a result of hateful or
abusive words, picture and videos intended to humiliate, embarrass, hurt,
insult, threaten or harass the targeted person or his sentiments. People face
cyberbullying from an age as early as 7-9 years old, whereas it is most common
in teenagers. Social media is a major platform that facilitates this type of
bullying.
Cyberbullying is often regarded
as a form of drama, an act of attention-seeking, non-serious trolls, or just a
source of fun. But it is as real as the issue of gender equality or people's
mental health, and hence, it must be taken very seriously. The victims go
through real trauma and find it hard to cope with it. This problem needs to be
considered and addressed ASAP as any other form of bullying or harassment.
Social media has
obviously served as a major source of cyberbullying and such sorts of
harassment. With an increase in the use of the internet and more social media
platforms being introduced with time, the rate of cyberbullying has also been
increased. Spreading rumors about a person or leaking his/her personal data is
another way of cyberbullying. This type of bullying has as serious consequences
as damaging someone's overall reputation, harming their career, causing them
mental health issues, hurting their emotions, and eventually affecting their
self-esteem. It is more dangerous than the bullying that occurs in person as it
can reach out to you anywhere at any time destroying your overall mental peace.
It does not wait for you to come back from a vacation or go to work. Anyone can
become a victim of cyberbullying at any time. Thus, it can be said that because
of the internet, nobody is safe from cyberbullying in any location and at any
point in time.
The rumors about a person
or his/her private content are possible to reach a much larger audience at a very
high speed now as it was before. Thus, the survey has proved that every other
teenager is somehow involved in this act of Cyberbullying without actually
realizing it either as a bully, a victim, a spectator, or someone who is
partially participating in it or somewhat facilitating it. Think for yourself.
We do this every day. We share a lot of stuff about different people with
plenty of social media accounts daily without having their consent or even
without investigating for ourselves about the validity of its content. By
facilitating this act or just enjoying it and gossiping about it as an
audience, we become a part of its cause as we have no idea about their
legitimacy and how it is affecting the victim.
Consequences of
Cyberbullying
The kids or teenagers
that are the victims of cyberbullying often find themselves facing depression,
anxiety, a sense of fear, involved in negative thoughts, and struggling with
their self-esteem. Their academic records and interest in studies speak about
their mental health. The cyberbullying often causes the victim to get
embarrassed in front of a whole audience. This results in feelings of
self-doubts and lack of self-confidence. Being trolled in front of a huge
audience causes a sense of overwhelmingness that things are totally beyond the
control of the victim and they are going to remain the same. A strong sense of
fear develops in them as cyberbullying often occurs anonymously, and such types
of bullies can reach you anywhere, breaching your privacy and invading your
home. It develops a feeling of being unsafe everywhere.
Rumors and leaked data on
such huge platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, where a single post can reach
millions and billions of people in a single minute cause the victim to feel
another level of humiliation. Being exposed in front of such a large audience
makes you feel so vulnerable and insecure. And when you know that once a thing
is out there on the internet, it can’t be erased; the feelings of humiliation
and embarrassment are incomparable.
The victims of
cyberbullying often feel that they are worthless and have absolutely no value.
This self-questioning often leads to self-harm. We can take the example of
fat-shaming here. The people who are fat-shamed often find themselves engaged
in crash routines or following crash diets. These routines are never healthy
and cause a lot of physical and emotional stress.
Another serious
consequence of cyberbullying is when the victims feel betrayed. This results in
feelings of aggression and vengefulness. The victims want their revenge, and
thus, they may engage in dangerous activities to retaliate. It can be very
serious at times because killings and attempts to murders have also been
recorded in the past.
The kids who are victims
of cyberbullying usually suffer academically too. They often find excuses to
skip school so they can avoid facing those who are bullying them. They feel
completely isolated, and this sense that the whole world has stood up against
them develops in them. The role of the parents is very important here because
they are often seen forcing or scolding their kids because of their poor grades
in such situations. Kids should be handled very carefully at such times, and
their emotional health should be seriously taken into consideration.
Along with all the
psychological and emotional stress, victims of cyberbullying may also
experience some physical stress as well. Stomachaches, headaches, skin
conditions, and other stress-related diseases may appear in them. They find
themselves sleeping all day or couldn’t sleep at all. Basically, their eating
and sleeping patterns get affected, and they may also feel insomnia.
The last consequence that
we are going to highlight here is the most serious one. Nowadays we often hear
on the news that someone at some place attempted suicide due to a lot of stress
or indirectly bullying. The bitter truth here is that it is becoming very
common. Thus, it has to be regarded very seriously. Kids could not handle such
an amount of pressure at such an age. Hence, they feel suicidal. This
especially happens when your closed ones are also not understanding and
supporting you in such a critical situation. This is why the family of the
victims of cyberbullying can play a very important role in their lives. They
are the ones who can help them rebuild their self-esteem with care and love.
How can the victims of
Cyberbullying be helped?
The victims of
cyberbullying are going through trauma and need emotional support. If they
share their experience with you, you got to assure them that it was the right
thing to do and that you understand what they must be going through with. Do
not let them feel that it was a mistake to trust you. Contact any necessary
authorities report cybercrime but take them into confidence first. They must be
made to understand about its importance and how it is going to help them. Reassure
them that what happened to them was wrong, and nobody has the right or the
power to do so. But discourage them from replying then in any way. Do not let
them take the matter in their own hands. Try to suppress their feelings of
revenge and let the authorities take action.
If someone is threatening
or blackmailing them privately, advise them to ignore it completely, and do not
respond in any way. If you are not their family, ask them to take their family
in confidence, and if they are afraid to do so, help them in conveying all the
situation to their families and make sure they understand. If cyberbullying is
happening in public in front of a huge audience, try reporting or blocking the
data. Report it to cybercrime authorities and advise them to stay quiet. Speak
for them and try to clear the air using one of the same forms of platforms or
ask anyone from their family or friends to do so.
Conclusion
Cyberbullying has become very common due to the
increased use of mobiles and the internet. Nobody is safe anywhere in the
world. Cyberbullies can reach you sitting in your own space at your own
personal homes. Mostly teenagers become the target of this crime. They are the
ones who get most affected as they are in the age when what others think about
you matters the most. Cyberbullying is as serious an issue as to any other in
the world. It can damage one's mental health and make him feel suicidal or
vengeful. People need massive emotional support to cope up with these
situations. Families and close ones of the victims should make sure that they do
not feel isolated. They must be aware of their mental condition and help them
think positively. Governments should develop certain authorities and
institutions in their countries that deal with cyber crimes.
