Written by Néhémie Bikin-kita
Cyberbullying: any bullying that occurs on digital and online platforms [i.e. on social media or through texts]1
➡️ A phenomenon that is, unfortunately, becoming more and more prevalent in our society.
Cyberbullying, just like traditional (offline) bullying, can engender a number of adverse mental health effects, such as:
🔹 Low self-esteem
🔹 Anxiety
🔹 Depression2
7 CYBERBULLYING STATISTICS
showing why it is important to tackle this issue:
1. The majority of teenagers today (over 80%) use a mobile phone on a regular basis, which exposes them to new forms of bullying3.
2. One in three parents worldwide (33%) know a child in their community who has been cyberbullied4.
3. A study conducted by OFCOM in 2017 suggests that about 1 in 8 young adults in the UK has suffered from cyberbullying5.
4. Around 64% of students who report having been cyberbullied say that it negatively impacted how they feel about their ability to learn at school, and how they feel about their safety6.)
5. When it comes to cyberbullying involving children, about 57% of the people responsible for the bullying are classmates7.
6. In Malta, around 10% of kids aged 11 report being cyberbullied8.
7. Although global awareness is high (75%), about 1 in 4 adults have still never heard of cyberbullying4.
Considering the prevalence of cyberbullying, action needs to be taken to raise more awareness on the issue, as well as develop effective ways to prevent it.
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1 StopBullying.gov. (n.d.). What Is Bullying? [online]. Available at: https://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/index.html [Accessed 1 Apr. 2019]
2 Kowalski, R., & Limber, S. (2013). Psychological, Physical, and Academic Correlates of Cyberbullying and Traditional Bullying. Journal Of Adolescent Health, 53(1), S13-S20. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.09.018
3 BullyingStatistics.org. (n.d.). Cyber Bullying Statistics. [online]. Available at: http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying-statistics.html [Accessed 1 Apr 2019]
4 Ipsos. (2018). Global Views on Cyberbullying. [online]. Available at: https://www.ipsos.com/en/global-views-cyberbullying [Accessed 1 Apr. 2019].
5 OFCOM. (2017). Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report. Retrieved from: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/108182/children-parents-media-use-attitudes-2017.pdf
6 ScienceDaily. (2017). Nationwide teen bullying and cyberbullying studies reveal significant issues impacting youth. [online]. Available at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170221102036.htm [Accessed 1 Apr. 2019].
7 Ipsos. (2018). Global Awareness of Cyberbullying Is Increasing, Though 1 in 4 Adults Haven’t Heard of It. [online]. Available at: https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/global-awareness-of-cyberbullying [Accessed 1 Apr. 2019].
8 TVM English. (2019). 1 out of 5 children is bullied in the first year of secondary school – TVM News. [online]. Available at: https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/1-out-of-5-children-are-bullied-in-first-year-of-secondary-school/ [Accessed 1 Apr. 2019].
bBrave chooses to avoid using the words ‘bully’ and ‘victim’ as bullying cases may be very complex. An individual may very well fall into both categories, and labelling individuals with these categories tend to negatively affect the lives of these people.
bBrave is the first anti-bullying NGO in Malta. Its mission is to raise awareness on the different forms of bullying, to facilitate assistance for individuals suffering from bullying and for the reform of individuals displaying bullying behaviour in Malta.
The Organisation is registered with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations (VO 1422), the Registrar for Legal Persons (LPA-118), and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ (AZ 252/2017). bBrave is also a Core Member of the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), the international coalition of organisations and individuals that are united against bullying.
Read more at www.bbrave.org.mt or find us on Facebook and Instagram.
