NEWS: Bullying goes online

Has the threat of bullying crossed over to the virtual world and just how serious is it?

CHILDREN get bullied. This is a fact of life for both parent and child alike, even if the latter only realises this later on.

In the 21st century, a new type of bullying seems to have crept out from the Internet woodwork: Cyber-bullying.

This is where children get ridiculed and shut out of social circles on a medium that is synonymous with their generation. Abused, it would seem, without physical contact or line of sight. Abused, it would seem, in their own homes by perpetrators both known and ­anonymous.

But is this all hyped up to match the perceived extreme sensitivity of contemporary children? Old-fashioned bullying is only menacing because walking away is not always an option. With “cyber-bullying,” you would think anyone has the option of switching off his or her computer or mobile phone.

Not only is it unclear whether cyber-­bullying poses a threat to children who frequent the Internet, there are problems simply defining what actually constitutes cyber-bullying in the first place.

Defined danger

According to a US educational organisation called the National Crime Prevention Council, the threat of cyberbullying is very real and it has given it a concise definition: “When the Internet, mobile phones or other devices are used to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person.”

Another organisation dedicated to identifying and suggesting preventive measures for cyber-bullying is Wired Safety, which runs the stopcyberbullying.org website.

Here, the concept is distinguished from cyber-stalking and cyber-harassment — both of which involve adults and more heinous (and sometimes criminal) activity.

Like what?

Cyber-bullying comes in several forms, according to these groups concerned over the dangerous effects cyber-bullying may have on children.

Sending hateful instant messages; impersonation of a friend or schoolmate; the stealing of passwords to infiltrate emails and chatrooms; humiliating someone via a blog post and the distribution of suggestive pictures are just some examples.

Head of Microsoft’s Windows Live in South East Asia, Barrie Ooi notes the uncertainty of the threat in this region of the world.

“While we can’t attach a particular number to the size of the threat in Malaysia, we do know that more and more people here are getting connected online,” he said.

“This coupled with the growth of social networks has resulted in people being less vigilant in protecting their personal information, which then leads to abuse by those with malicious intentions.”

There are, however, statistics for the United States where the problem is considered more severe than in other places.

According to a CNET News report, ­researchers have concluded that 40% to 85% of kids have been exposed to some kind of ­digital bullying.

Ooi went on to say that this type of bullying is particularly menacing for several reasons. Bullies can remain anonymous, they do not need to be bigger or have more in their social group to terrorise and they can do it at any time of the day.

“With cyber-bullying, it is a different dynamic,” he said. “Bullying can start at a younger age and can also be in larger groups online and go undetected for a longer period of time.”

Damaging?

Clinical psychologist at Universiti Putra Malaysia’s department of psychiatry Siti Irma Fadhilah Ismail notes that cyber-bullying is a new and puzzling topic in her field.

“Besides the varying definitions of what actually constitutes cyberbullying, the impact of it on a child’s mental well-being is being disputed,” she said.

“There have not been many studies conducted in this field and the ones I do know of suggest that the impact may be slightly less than regular bullying.

“We have seen some cases where young girls have complained of being harassed via SMS but never through e-mail or instant messaging.”

Siti went on to suggest that perhaps this phenomenon is more prevalent in countries where computers and the Internet and more commonplace than in Malaysia.

Recently, representatives in the US Congress were trying to push a bill to protect children from such abuse. The bill was tabled last year after a 13-year-old girl committed suicide after being repeatedly harassed on MySpace.com.

According to reports, Megan Meier ­struggled with depression until she met a boy on the social networking website who offered her some semblance of comfort. They talked and flirted regularly until, confusingly, he started sending spiteful messages to her.

Broken by the apparent betrayal, the girl killed herself. It turns out that the boy was not a boy at all.

It was a conspiracy of several women, including the mother of the girl’s friend, who concocted a fictional male persona to taunt Meier for reasons that were unclear.

At the time of writing, the cyber-bullying bill has yet to be passed.

“I can understand the motivation behind the bill given the tragedy that has occurred in the United States,” said Siti.

“However, I do not think enough research exists, Western or otherwise, to suggest that cyberbullying has any serious psychological impact on a child. Of course there are certain cases, such as the Megan Meier case, that seem to cement the notion that this is a severe problem.

“I still think that more needs to be done in terms of research before any laws are passed on this matter.”

What to do

Whether this new age phenomenon poses a threat or not, it may be prudent for both parents and children alike to take any available precautions.

“Given that Microsoft has various different social networking sites and chatrooms, we recognise that preventive measures can be taken,” said Ooi.

“Nothing is more important than parents talking to their children making sure family members are there in support when a bully attempt is taking place. Parents should seek information and learn the anti-bullying policies of various sites and determine if they apply to any particular situation.

“Also, keeping records of the acts of bullying is vital should the authorities be called in to be involved.” Abuses should also be reported to the host website.

For example, to report abuse on Windows Live or MSN Messenger, users can click on the “Report Abuse” link (at the bottom of the page) which is available on most Windows Live services.

For those who believe cyber-bullying is a serious threat, the solutions are a little more drastic. Some reports suggest that parents should restrict and police all their children’s online activity.

Siti does not believe that parents need to employ any strict measures to safeguard their children in this respect.

“I believe cyber-bullying is just an extension of regular bullying which parents usually have little control over anyway,” she said.

“The best thing to do may be to talk to the child and make sure he or she is educated on the subject. There are enough controls on the Internet for pornography and so on and those are valid. But to restrict chatroom and social networking sites where many modern kids socialise is a touch extreme.”