Online bullying is a reality that we should not only associate with younger people; anyone online can harass, be harassed, allow bullying or normalize it.
We can define cyberbullying as the use of telematic means to harass, threaten, humiliate, embarrass or abuse, often with the shield of anonymity. Another characteristic of cyberbullying is that it occurs among peers, normally among minors, specifically adolescents, and, therefore, the legal consequences are different than if it occurs between adults. This can lead to greater permissibility, even labelling certain behaviours as “childish things”.
Identifying Cyberbullying
But cyberbullying is not a “childish thing”; its consequences can be lethal, ending up with a loss of self-esteem in young people and causing serious anxiety disorders. In some cases, victims develop illnesses that they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives.
In our reality and in that of our young people, unfortunately, cyberbullying is normalized, we have become accustomed to seeing daily behaviors that can violate the rights of others, but that we are not able to identify, some of these behaviors can materialize in different ways, such as:
Distribution of embarrassing photographs taken in private settings.
Memes or montages that are intended to ridicule.
Theft of passwords to access private information.
Identity theft to carry out actions that may violate dignity.
Offensive posts harassing and threatening.
Creation of rumors with the aim of socially destroying adolescents.
Prevention as the main tool
New technologies are necessary and open the doors to information. We must not give up on them, but we must educate and re-educate ourselves so that they are used responsibly, based on one essential principle: respect for others.
Cyberbullying has become a common practice and we cannot focus on a specific profile of victims, but we can carry out awareness and prevention actions among the youngest. For this reason, it is necessary to know the main aspects and concepts linked to it and to be able to identify online behaviours that, even if normalised, can be the first step towards harassment with fatal consequences. Knowing the environments in which cyberbullying occurs and having tools to be able to report events that may violate people's privacy and honour is essential. If we are all able to identify the same events and report them, we can act together.
Young people also need to know the tools and understand that reporting bullying is essential. Protocols need to support victims, but they also need to carry out comprehensive monitoring of the harassers, to know their profiles and what drives them to engage in behaviour that is far removed from respect for others. They need to be aware that they have responsibility for the acts they carry out on and off the internet, and that with such acts they can cause a lot of harm to their peers.
It is important to know that victims are not alone and that there are prevention protocols within schools and that public administrations, such as the Xunta de Galicia, work with protocols to prevent, detect and treat cyberbullying .
Learning at home
Social networks are necessary in our environment, we often ask young kuwait number code people to make responsible use of their mobile phones when adults are glued to them all day long. Taking a screenshot of a profile, sharing it with our WhatsApp contacts, laughing, making jokes, and even accepting comments that, outside the digital environment, would be unthinkable, can be the beginning of a bullying situation. If we see this example in teenagers, within an educational environment we throw our hands up in horror, but if adults do it, it is surely normalized. In this sense, we must all learn and know how to detect and reject those small actions that can be harmful to third parties.
Digital schooling is already a reality and codes of conduct, prevention and program management must be established, as well as evaluation and monitoring of reported incidents. Outside of the school environment, there must be digital education at home, with agreements adopted between the parties and with appropriate management of new technologies.
Training as a first step
Training for all those involved is necessary. Both parents and teachers must identify cyberbullying behaviors, as well as knowing which channels to use to report events that may violate the honor of others. This training must also include raising awareness among minors and inviting them not to “look the other way” every time they see such behavior on social networks. Encouraging them to report and reporting when necessary. Remember, many times, the key is in the example.