SEP 20, 2014
Source: Straits times
According to a survey released in July 2014 by Touch Cyber Wellness, which promotes online safety among children, one in three secondary school students and one in five primary school pupils have reported that they were victims of cyber bullying.
Cyberbullying among the young is spreading like a virus here, and it is being underpinned by a culture of silence and inaction.
In the latest survey of the issue, three-quarters of the children and teenagers in Singapore said they had been bullied online, and almost all of the victims did not inform their parents.
Through the form of embarrassing pictures, nasty messages, or spreading rumors
In online games, where one person is constantly targeted by other players
A single bully, or a group of bullies, picking on someone online
Not only in schools, but can also be at work places - Where one colleague tries to tarnish the reputation of another,
People who get bullied online feel humiliated, resulting in a lack of confidence in themselves. This may make the people feel badly for themselves, and may result in a change in personality with depression and anger issues.
People being cyber bullied are often reluctant to express their emotions and let their family members know about their plight.
People being cyber bullied may even lose their will to live, as the cyberbullies constantly bombard them with nasty remarks.
According to a research conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center, 20% of cyber bullying victims have admitted to having such thoughts
Other effects of cyber bullying include:
Being excluded from social events
May start harming themselves- like hitting themselves
Experiencing trust issues
More likely to abuse alcohol or drugs at an earlier age
At work, one may start getting paranoid, and dread going to work
Real life situation:
Hope Witsell was a 13-year-old student who was harassed and bullied by her schoolmates after a private photo that she sent to her boyfriend was forwarded to everyone in the school by another girl, causing her to be harassed both online and in school. The incident reached the school authorities a few months later, and they immediately dismissed her for one week, even without inquiring about the incident. The harassments continued and on September 12, 2009, she killed herself
Cyber bullying often target's the victim's emotions and mental health
Anyone can be part of cyber bullying
It is hard to identify who are the bullies.
The victim can be exposed to the entire world.