CYBER BULLYING

CYBERBULLYING: NOT A SIGN OF HEROISM

What happens when someone calls you nerd or they body-shame you online? What if they post embarrassing photos of you on social media and they try to harass you? If all of that is happening, chances are you’re going to dread every notification, text or call you get and most probably a target of cyberbullying.

 Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that takes place via internet connected devices like smartphones, computers, or tablets. In simple words, cyberbullying is the use of technology to intimidate, harass, threaten, torment, or humiliate a target. Any online medium that allows for the sharing of information can become a platform for cyberbullying such as social media, email, messaging apps, text messages, games, and more.

Alright, so let’s address the issue then.

Cyberbullying is an alarming threat. It can make the victim’s life miserable and even lead to depression and suicidal actions. We are always glued to our smartphones or laptops these days, so there’s no escape from cyberbullies. You scroll through Facebook or any other social media platform and see hateful posts and comments. When cyberbullying occurs, the nasty posts, messages or texts can be shared with multitudes of people. The sheer volume of people that knows about the bullying can lead to intense feelings of humiliation. It seems like the only solution is to disconnect from the internet altogether. If all this linger, the target’s mental health and quality of life starts to suffer.

 

 

According to stats, India recorded third highest online bullying rate in the Global Cyber Bulling List. As there is a sharp increase in the weight of cyber bulling, the vulnerability of victims has also increased. Digital harassment of women or children increased by a staggering 36% from 2017-2018.

As cyberbullying becomes more prevalent, it is increasingly important for us to take steps to prevent it. Foremost confiding in a parent, a friend, or a teacher you trust is not shameful. On the contrary, the sooner you ask for help, the better. In any case, whatever you do, refuse to play their game. If they smell blood, they’ll attack again, so don’t show any weakness. Another option is to confront them. They feel powerful hiding behind the screen, but face to face it’s a different story. A barking dog never bites. And that’s what they do – just bark online for fun, spilling out negative words, and trying to feel good about themselves.

 

As cyberbullying becomes more prevalent, it is increasingly important for us to take steps to prevent it. Foremost confiding in a parent, a friend, or a teacher you trust is not shameful. On the contrary, the sooner you ask for help, the better. In any case, whatever you do, refuse to play their game. If they smell blood, they’ll attack again, so don’t show any weakness. Another option is to confront them. They feel powerful hiding behind the screen, but face to face it’s a different story. A barking dog never bites. And that’s what they do – just bark online for fun, spilling out negative words, and trying to feel good about themselves.

However, if they are persistent and these strategies don’t work, the next step is to seek assistance from the authorities. There is no specific legislation that provides for the specific cyberbullying laws in India. However, provisions such as Section 67 of the Information Technology Act deals with cyberbullying in a way. Other than Section 67 of the IT Act, Section 507 IPC and Section 66 E of IT Act describe cyberbullying as a punishable offense and those found guilty are placed before jurisdiction.

Lastly there are many people who would say cyberbullying is not a big deal and many become a part of it wittingly or unwittingly. Remember, you must always stay strong , and, DO NOT BLOW SOMEONE ELSE’S CANDEL IN HOPES OF MAKING YOUR OWN SHINE BRIGHTER.