CYBERBULLYING

“Cyberbullying” is quite a buzz word today in the internet world.

The grave point of concern is its growing impact on our lives. Commonly known as Internet Bullying, it is amongst the far & wide growing form of teen or child violence that can do a lot of harm, mostly mental and even physical at times.

It can lead to anxiety, depression, lack of confidence and even suicide.

Technically it’s called Bullying when children below age of 18 are involved at the either end – as a bully or as a victim. While it falls under harassment category if there are adults involved.

Over 80 percent of teens (world-wide) use a cell phone regularly, making it the most popular form of technology and a common medium for cyberbullying.

Cyberbullies are highly intimidating. They thrive on having an audience. Display of power, vengeance and thrill are some of the reasons why people bully. Popularity & entertainment are usually the driving factors for children to indulge in bullying.

India as a country stands 4^th in cyberbullying. Also what is noteworthy is if 1 of 10 children has been bullied online, about 50% of children are also the cyberbullies. Knowingly or unknowingly people contribute to the bullying in virtual space. Somewhere it’s the feeling of superiority or simply having fun by demeaning someone that leads to a criminal act such as bullying. The case shared here is a classic example of same.