Question

Bullying in general, and cyberbullying in particular, has received a lot of attention in the media in the last few years. Do you think that cyberbullying is more/less/equally harmful than bullying of the past? Do you think the attention to this issue is successfully changing children's behaviour? Finally, do you think that some of the "zero-tolerance" towards bullying behaviour in schools is too extreme (i.e., interpreting disagreements or typical kids' fights as bullying)?

Answer 1

.Cyber bullying or harassment over electronic means which is directed with an intention to harm, has become a rampant social problem especially among the youth in recent time. It includes instances of posting rumors, threats, sexual remarks, a victim’s personal information, or hate speech on social network media such as Facebook, Twitter, cellphone text messages, etc.

Awareness about Cyberbullying and the enactment of specific laws pertaining to it have point towards the fact that Cyberbullying may be more harmful than traditional bullying. This is because the widespread and rapid flow of relatively stable information over the electronic media is almost uncontrollable as it may move beyond the boundaries of a state. Moreover, it can increase the vulnerability of victims towards lower self-esteem, increased suicidal tendencies , and a variety of negative emotional responses such as social anxiety or fear, frustration, anger and depression. Furthermore, problems like internet trolling and cyber stalking are instances of cyberbullying where the victims may not know the identity of their bully, or why the bully is targeting them. Thus, cyber harassment can have wide-reaching effects on the victim which can be said to be more severe than bullying as it existed in face to face interactions in schools a decade ago.

The recent proactive interventions at systemic levels such as through group counselling sessions in schools, involvement of the local police and courts in addressing the rights of the victims in getting a restraining order, etc. Have helped in creating a change in the social attitude towards bullying. It has helped to raise the youth’s ability to protest and seek justice against the violation of his/her personal rights and not give in to peer pressure.

However, it needs to be noted that every expression or gesture on the electronic media is not framed with a harmful intention. Social network sites have also led to creation of constructive dissent and exchange of transformative ideas. However, there is an increasing risk that constructive criticism can be misinterpreted as an pejorative comment under cyberbullying. In some educational institutions, a ‘zero tolerance policy’ towards cyber harassment may lead to negative consequences for the public image of the young person and may curtail the choice of the y outh in developing free and critical thinking out of fear of being casted as a bully.

Thus, while a heightened awareness about the issue has enabled the youth to speak against any injustice in their own environment, it has also backfired by creating a paranoia and a tendency towards overgeneralising aggressive intentions behind socially significant group processes such as competitive fights.