Cyber Bullying: It happens to one in three!

In 2006, a 13-year old girl committed suicide after receiving nasty messages including the final one being “the world would be a better place without you”, from a boy she befriended with online through her MySpace account. It was found later that the boy never existed and “he” was fictionally created by her friend’s mother who lived a few houses away and knew the girl well. The mother was only convicted of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse act for assessing a computer without proper authorization. The girl was one of the many victims of cyber bullying.

Cyber bullying refers to bullying a.k.a. deliberately harassing someone continuously in a hostile manner, which takes place online using electronic technology such as computers, smartphones and tabs, and applications like social networks, emails and instant messaging. There are many types of cyber bullying including:

• Sending nasty messages or threats via emails, instant messaging or even text messages to mobile phone 
• Spreading wicked rumors about someone or posting malicious messages online for e.g. on Facebook, Twitter, public forums, etc.
• Hacking into someone’s account and using that account to post harmful/hurtful messages
• Posting indecent photos or messages online about someone

According to Cyber Bullying statistics obtained from the i-SAFE foundation, more than one out of three persons experienced some form of cyber bullying online with over 25% of teenagers being bullied recurrently online or on mobile phones, and more than half of these victims did not disclose the cyber bullying to their parents. In Malaysia too, one in three children were cyber-bullied, as found by a Global Youth Online behaviour survey released by Microsoft.com in 2012 which was conducted in 25 countries worldwide.

Cyber bullying has become a serious issue globally since the spread of internet and social networking tools which have made it easy for one to post nasty or threatening messages or pictures publicly online or through private messaging and emails, especially when the victim is a child. Parent, teachers/educators and in fact any adult should be aware of cyber bullying and educate children about practising online safety.

Sources: The New York Times, 7 September 2009, Vague Cyberbullying Law; Stop CyberBullying; Cyber Bullying Statistics; Microsoft.com, Online Bullying Among Youth 8 – 17 Worldwide; Rozana Sani, 3 September 2012, Stop the bullying, News Straits Times.