Cyber bullying is bullying or harassment that happens through electronic media. It may be perpetuated through text messages, emails, gaming or social media platforms. In some cases, cyber bullying happens along with in-person bullying.

Social media apps and certain websites provide a degree of anonymity to its users, making it easier for persons to hide behind their screens and threaten or harass their victims. Thus, most of the time, the bully is protected under a cloak of anonymity. In cyber bullying, when the post, comment or message continues to be available online indefinitely, the targeted person also continues to be affected for a longer period.

What constitutes cyber bullying?

The bully would send or post negative, false, hateful, hurtful or mean things about the targeted person/child with an aim to humiliate or scare them. (Sometimes, the bully will try to coax personal information from the targeted person and threaten to and/or resort to destroy the privacy of the latter.)

Sometimes, cyber bullying is not intentional and the bullies do not realise that they are bullying another. The cyber bully often fails to realise that what they consider to be a joke is actually hurting someone and that it constitutes bullying. Online platforms allow its users to express their views and often, the magnitude of the effect is overlooked by the users.

Though it may feel like it is easier to escape cyber bullying as compared to in-person/face-to-face bullying by simply switching off from the gadget, that is not always true. Cyber bullying can be done at any time of the day; if you block the bully’s account, they can create another one and continue with the bullying; a personal message sent by a person to another can get forwarded umpteen number of times; a comment may get commented upon by hundreds of persons; a deleted photo or video can be reposted by others – all this in a matter of seconds or minutes and things can get out of hand very soon.

Effects of cyber bullying

Bullying can have long lasting effects on the victim, who will be affected mentally, socially, academically, emotionally and even physically. The effects can be traumatic on the affected person. Being bullied can cause a person to be in a constant state of fear and sadness and it can affect their sleep, appetite, mood, self-esteem, etc. Some of the people who are bullied develop anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, eating disorder, body image issues, insomnia and loneliness. They are also more prone to substance abuse. In some cases, the bullying is to such an extent that the targeted persons are even encouraged or coerced to take their lives.

Moreover, bullying affects not only the bullied but also the bystanders of bullying and the bullies themselves. People who witness bullying are also similarly affected as the bullied and their mental health, sleep and eating habits are affected. They are also more likely to engage in substance abuse.

Wrongful normalisation of bullying

Adults as well as children bully each other without realising the effects that it has on the bullied. In schools and colleges alike, students tend to form groups and target a person, thinking it to be normal and even cool. Such group bullying is mostly in the form of body shaming, spreading gossips and rumours, sexual and sexuality shaming, slut shaming, etc. Bullying/cyberbullying in such ways is normalised to a great extent in educational institutions and on the internet.

Putting another person down will affect him/her/them greatly, not just in the present but well into the future. Therefore, it is important to recognise bullying behaviour and stop normalisation of the same, in the name of “fun”.

Laws in India

Currently, there are no specific laws that deal with cyber bullying. The Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 have provisions under which cyber bullying can come. Defamation (S. 356 BNS), violation of privacy (S. 66E IT Act), criminal intimidation (S. 351 BNS), sexual harassment (S. 76 BNS), stalking (S. 78 BNS), etc. are few of the provisions. If a person is driven to suicide due to the bullying, it can be an offence of abetment to suicide.

What may help

If you are being cyberbullied, there are certain things that may help in the situation.

• Block and cut off communication with the bully.
• It is better not to engage with bullies. Do not try to retaliate or respond. However, if the bullying is done by a friend, you may try to let them know that it is not okay.
• Report the bully on the respective online platforms and to the authorities.
• Make sure to take screenshots, save messages, call logs and other crucial information evidencing the bullying. This will help in the effective prosecution of the bully.
• Take a break from the online platforms and/or gadgets until everything calms down or until you are in a better mental state.
• Always reach out and talk to someone you trust.
• Being bullied can affect your mental and physical health significantly so taking the help of a professional could help.
• Remember that it is not your fault that you are/were bullied. Bullies generally act out because they are insecure or they feel the need to control someone else or they themselves are bullied by another.
• Bullies tend to pick on persons who they think are weak. They play upon the lack of confidence and fear in others as they might not be able to bully people who speak up and stand up to them. Being more confident and facing bullies without fear can have significant impact.

Tips for parents

Cyber bullying has become prevalent in today’s digital world. Taking away the gadget or cutting off the internet is not the answer though it might be good to take a break and enjoy offline activities. Be supportive and listen to your child. Assess how much they were affected by the bullying and take the necessary steps.

Having regular and open conversations with your child helps you to know if they are going through a difficult time. Be aware of how much time they spend online and what activities they take part in. Before they start their online journey, have a discussion about some of the common issues that they may come across and how to handle them so that children are prepared. It is also important to look out for signs that they are being bullied or otherwise abused online. To know more about the warning signs of online abuse, click here.

Since most of the time, the cyber bullies do not realise that they are actually bullying someone else due to the non-personal nature of digital communication, it is important to teach children to be kind. Make sure that you also treat them with respect and empathy so that they do not think it is okay to be disrespectful or take disrespect from others.

Article by Salma Jennath