Bullying and cyberbullying are two group dynamics that can take place over several years. Therefore, it is essential to become aware of the passive actions toward this type of bullying that either encourage or discourage it.
Not getting involved could be seen as agreeing with the bully, whereas supporting the victim could discourage further aggression. However, changing how bullies and victims interact with their peers is crucial.
Both victims and perpetrators are likely to suffer from stress, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and academic performance, trouble socializing, or suicidal thoughts due to cyberbullying.
How Can Adults Help Prevent Cyberbullying?
- Discuss online interactions. How do children and teenagers feel about their interactions on the internet, and how can they foster a more positive environment online?
- Reward positive behaviors and values like empathy and solidarity. Acknowledging your child’s attitude towards others is just as important as celebrating academic accomplishments.
- Teach children how to stand with victims of bullying. Standing up for victims and showing support is always of great help.
- Encourage group support. Teach students how to intervene and stand together not to enable the bully.
- Do not wait for the situation to turn into cyberbullying. Even if some incidents are not intentional, they can still cause damage.
- Always encourage students to discuss incidents with a trusted adult, even if they have received negative responses in the past.
Factors Associated with Cyberbullying
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- Higher technology usage increases the probability of being involved in or witnessing cyberbullying. Also, trying to stay updated on an incident can prolong it.
- Risk behaviors on social networks and the internet like posting private or sensitive information, interacting with strangers, and uploading posts that could be misunderstood, among others, could lead to arguments and online aggression. Additionally, platforms that encourage anonymity and content that disappears after a designated period add to this risk.
- Moral and empathetic disconnect like a lower ability to see different perspectives, the justification of actions using excuses, and not assuming responsibility for actions online are associated with a greater probability of cyberbullying.
- Face-to-face bullying: bullies usually continue their harassment outside the school on social networks, making their victims also victims of cyberbullying.
- Peer rejection: not having a close group of friends or being ultimately rejected increases the likelihood of becoming involved in bullying, whether as an aggressor or a victim. This is key because bullying would have less impact on victims if they had a proper support system.
- Close friend groups: if a group of friends is particularly close and perceive bullying positively, there will be greater social pressure to partake in it. On the contrary, if a group rejects bullying, then the bullying will probably stop.
- Well-being: low self-esteem, anxiety, and loneliness are also linked to bullying (both in the aggressor and victim).
The translation of the note was made by Laura Vallejo.
