With the widespread use of the internet and social media, our lives have changed drastically. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, which we see mostly positive contributions, may bring many negative effects. Cyberbullying is one of the biggest problems in these years of the internet revolution. Public Health officials should create a cyberbullying awareness campaign.
Cyberbullying, which can be seen on social media, messaging, or gaming platforms, includes all behavior that includes humiliating, threatening, or harassing someone.
Cyberbullying is a common problem for children, teenagers, adults, and especially celebrities or influencers. Below we would discuss facts about cyberbullying including statistics, articles, and how to address cyberbullying when faced with it.
Facts About Cyberbullying
Debate continues on whether cyberbullying counts as bullying. Some facts about cyberbullying include:
Many students have experienced being cyberbullied.
Unfortunately, most students of any age experience online harassment. These harassments often involve bullies pretending to be other people and posting wrong information about these students. This situation can mentally harm students who are still at their developmental age.
Social media is at the top of the platforms where this problem occurs.
People are socializing mostly on social media platforms nowadays. So, it is an indisputable fact that social media and cyberbullying are in constant interaction with each other. This situation leads these platforms to create a suitable ground for the spread of cyberbullying.
In terms of gender, most victims of cyberbullying are women.
Especially young girls should contact institutions that will contribute to their freedom. Authorities should promote cyberbullying awareness campaigns and build a strong and positive community for victims. Young girls and victims are empowered to fight and take a stance against cyberbullying when authorities address the root cause of the problem and provide assistance.
Approximately 25% of students consider cyberbullying normal.
Yes, the internet is beneficial in terms of communication and interaction, but people also have a chance to remain anonymous on many platforms. People who turn this chance into an opportunity can engage in cyberbullying without hesitation. Peer pressure and acceptance are also some of the reasons why many engage in cyberbullying.
Many people who witness this issue choose to stay still.
Many people prefer to remain silent when they see the lynching and cyberbullying problems on social media. Also, most people prefer to stay silent rather than report cyberbullying.
Smartphone use is linked to an increase in cyberbullying.
With the technological developments brought by age, everyone from children to the elderly can easily access their own phones. Therefore, it is very difficult to stop this problem behavior in online applications or gaming platforms.
One of the places where cyberbullying is most common is online games.
Cyberbullying is common on online gaming platforms. Verbal attacks and player exclusion are some examples of cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying rate for LGBTQ+ students increase by over 50%.
Socioeconomic condition is one of the main causes of a person being bullied. It also increases due to gender or racial discrimination. People who belong to the LGBTQ community and other vulnerable sectors also face a high rate of cyberbullying. Society’s acceptance is high. However many still face backlash from the society they live in.
Cyberbullying makes young people more suicidal
Especially in the last ten years, the rates of depression, anxiety disorder, and suicidal ideation in children and adolescents have increased. Undoubtedly, cyberbullying continues to contribute to these problems.
Teens, parents, educators, and administrators can help stop this problem.
It is everyone’s duty to raise facts about cyberbullying awareness and to work on how to address cyberbullying. Administrators or persons of authority can control and monitor access to digital platforms.
Statistics of Cyberbullying on Social Media
Cyberbullying is not only for those that have experienced it firsthand. This is why it is very important to report cyberbullying from the moment its noticed.
In addition to its social benefits, research on cyberbullying, which is the dark side of the internet, has revealed quite impressive statistics. The problem of cyberbullying increased during the pandemic.
Cyberbullying awareness rates depend on which region the families and children live in.
Families in Japan and Russia believe their children had never been cyberbullied. On the contrary, studies conducted in India, Europe, and America revealed that families are aware of the facts about cyberbullying problems their children may be experiencing.
Some other statistics of cyberbullying on social media include:
A significant part of bullying rates occurs on social media.
According to the studies, while 19.2% of this problem is happening through social media, 11% is through text messages and 7.9% is through video games.
During the pandemic period, there has been an increase in cyberbullying.
According to a study, the global pandemic and quarantine period have had a major impact on the cyberbullying rates seen on Twitter. The study analyzed 450 thousand plus viewable tweets. The results show a strong link between the pandemic and cyberbullying. During the pandemic, the only distraction is checking out social media. Psychological problems also increase during the pandemic period.
Vulnerable individuals and groups are exposed to cyberbullying.
According to a study conducted in 2018, more than 50% of young people have been exposed to cyberbullying. Also, in another larger study conducted in 2021, approximately 40% of Americans under the age of 30 experienced this problem.
Cyberbullying has negative health effects.
In a study conducted in 2019, it was stated that teens dealing with this problem may have higher rates of sleep disorders and depression.
YouTube is one of the worst places where this problem occurs.
YouTube often looks more innocent than other digital media, but the reality is not. Comments under videos mostly contain bad content and trolling. Approximately 79 % of child users have been exposed to this problem.
There are apps that you can use to address cyberbullying. Some apps feature detects verbal abuse and sometimes offensive comments. Socialays: Social Media Guard is like a kind of private security that anyone can access. Connect your social media account to the app to use it to ignore or block anyone.
Socialays: Social Media Guard can analyze and categorize malicious comments. The app hides any malicious comments. Finally, this application can block cyberbullies, and thus it provides protection for people who are exposed to cyberbullying.
Different Ways to Stop Cyberbullying
Sometimes to ignore, sometimes to block…There are many different ways to address cyberbullying.
Here are some cyberbullying safety tips:
1. Ignore.
Imagine that there is someone who is bothering you. Before something can affect you, you must first acknowledge its existence. After all, something that doesn’t exist can’t create a problem, right?
2. Block.
Ignoring can be effective only in the short term in this problem. Blocking is a permanent solution and prevents bullies from reaching out.
3. Collect evidence
One of the best weapons in addressing cyberbullying is the existence of proof. You can keep and present as evidence all photos, texts, and documents that are offensive or abusive. And finally, one of the most frequently asked questions: Can you file a police report for cyberbullying? Contact the local police department for policies and guidelines regarding cyberbullying.
4. Reporting Cyberbullying
Reporting cyberbullying is among the first steps you should take. This protects people against cyberbullying. For this reason, you should not immediately respond to bullying messages or comments.
Evidence is what you need most when reporting cyberbullying, so keep the evidence. Record the date, time, and platform where the bullying occurred. Save screenshots, email recordings, comments, or text messages if needed.
5. Be urbane.
Sometimes it is important not to mirror the bully’s behavior and not to give bad feedback. Speaking badly and mistreating a person increases the likelihood of being cyberbullied as such, it is important to treat others how they want themselves to be treated.
6. Gather support.
It is important to get the support of close people such as family and friends in such matters. Teachers can support students, especially during school hours. A cyberbullying report is also important.
7. Don’t be a spectator to injustice.
Although there are different ways to stop this problem, one of the most important is that the witnesses take an active role. People who encountered these problems wanted society’s support. That’s why consider our cyberbullying safety tips and show malicious people appropriate action when it’s necessary.
