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By Mohd Aslam
What is Cyber bullying?
Harassing, threatening, or humiliating an individual or a group over the electronic medium is called Cyberbullying. When someone uses text, SMS, apps, online forums, social media or even gaming (where people can interact with each other) to share harmful, mean, threatening or false content about you or someone else is cyberbullying. It is most commonly practised by teens and adolescents.
Places of most occurrences of cyber bullying:
- Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.) – provides social space on internet.
- SMS (short message service) – messages over the mobile network.
- Messaging Services (WhatsApp Messenger, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Telegram, etc.)
- Electronic mails (email)
Why it is Harmful?
Cyberbullying is fundamentally the same as traditional bullying, but unlike traditional bullying, most of the time victim is not aware of the personal identity of the bully. Cyberbullying affects the physical and mental health of the victim. It can make him/her feel burdened as they are going through this phase.
It can result into:
- low self-esteem of the victim.
- spending time alone rather with friends or family.
- finding excuses to stay away from people.
- Changes in the physical body.
- Changes in the mood.
These are only a few examples; as the abuse gets more extreme, the victim starts to feel helpless, which may lead to serious accidents.
Key points and Statistics
India has the third-highest online bullying rate in the world, after China and Singapore. In India, the survey conducted by Microsoft reveals the shocking facts and figures about the cyberbullying. The survey concludes that “53% of children age 8 – 17 who responded to the survey say they have been subjected to a range of online activities that some may consider to be online bullying or to have adverse effects”.
In total responses:
- 22% says – Mean or unfriendly treatment
- 29% says – Made fun or teased
- 25% says – Called mean names
This data is taken from the survey conducted by Microsoft in 2012. But the current scenario is much worse than expected. In 2018, 37% of parents confirmed that their child was a victim of online harassment. Approximately one-fifth of the overall abuse happens on social media. As the accessibility of the Internet increases; a greater number of people engage in online activities resulting in an increased number of cases.
Rules and Regulations
There is no specific rules or regulations that are specifically for cyberbullying, nonetheless Section 67 of the Information Technology Act is related to it. As it states the punishment for publishing or sending obscene material in an electronic medium. The accused can be charged also with a fine up to 10 Lakh rupees and a sentence of up to five years.
These two rules should also be highlighted:
- Section 66 E of Information Technology ACT – This section deals with the breach of privacy.
- Section 507 IPC – The section states that if a person receives criminal harassment by way of anonymous communication, sender shall be punished with imprisonment for up to two years.
How to stop cyberbullying
- Keep thing clean – confirm what you are posting, monitor your account activity regularly. Do not post something which can harm you in future.
- Do not respond to the strangers – before completely examining do not respond to the random persons on the internet. If he/she is transmitting you the messages regularly, seek help.
- Look for help – If a person remains continuous bullying, then reach out, seek help. Don’t panic.
- Block and Report – Immediately block the bully and report its profile.
- Do not share passwords with anyone
- Try collecting the evidence – if you think you are harassed, then collect some evidence; It will support you in proving the fact you are harassed.
These are main key insights to keep in mind while using the internet. Our Safety is our responsibility, take it seriously and to let others know as well.
Thanks for posting
Very wonderfully explained. Apart from it Section 504 (Public Insult), Section 506 (Threatening), Section 499/500 (Defamation) of Indian Penal Code, 1860 will also be charged on the accused having regards to the circumstances.
Cyber Bullying is a major concern in front of us these days, thanks for updating us with such precious information and facts in this reference.
Thank you, Yashraj Bais for highlighting this information.
Cyber bullying is one of the big problems faced by the current generation and it deeply influences one both physically and mentally and could lead to serious mental problems if not dealt in the right way .
We should not do it ourselves and must report to someone elder and responsible if we see someone doing it
Cyber bullying burdens one physically and mentally and we need ways to deal with it .
We can deal with by informing our elders or reporting to someone responsible also if we are bullied by someone we can file a complaint under the following sections Section 504 (Public Insult), Section 506 (Threatening), Section 499/500 (Defamation) of Indian Penal Code, 1860 will also be charged on the accused having regards to the circumstances and
Section 507 IPC – The section states that if a person receives criminal harassment by way of anonymous communication, sender shall be punished with imprisonment for up to two years.
Thank you, Niyati for highlighting this information.
Well defined
This is the most observed scenario on internet which takes their life also due to lack of knowledge of solutions they can seek. So awareness to all these must be there as the last line says much to be praised “our safety is our responsibility, take it seriously and inform others too”.
Cyberbullying is very common now a days . It is very dangerous for the mental as well as physical health of the victim .if someone is bullied by anyone , victim should go to the court by taking advantage of section 504 and sec.507 under Indian penal code .. and also we should aware the people about the bad consequences of cyber bullying …
A good to read article, i.e., for the purpose of general awareness of the topic, which is, cyberbullying.
The writer has focused on various elements of cyberbullying and how to be safe from it.
Wonderfully written! We all were bullied at least once in our lives and no matter how trivial the matter is bullying has the power to negatively impact our lives, be it cyber bullying or any other type of bullying. The fact that India has the third highest online bullying rate, it is high time now to make rules and regulations specifically for it.
facts are so well phrased and to the point. The author is well clear about the topic.
Thank you, Paritosh
Excellent job by the author.
The author could not have been more informative and have to say it is well structured right from the beginning i mean it has every aspect of what an article must have.
good job!
Thank you, I really appreciate your response.
This points out again the inadequacy of laws that protect someone against cyber crimes. The adversaries mainly target teenagers and kids through cyberbullying, which is why we need to have specific laws for those affected. It would not only make the interpretation of law in context to cyber laws clearer but also invoke fear in the minds of adversaries.
Cyber bullying is one of the big problems faced by the current generation and it deeply influences one both physically and mentally and could lead to serious mental problems if not dealt in the right way . Like the recent case of “bois locker room” it is best example for the issue. And the author has written very good article and tried to provide the information to the every person with the help of the article which is very great approach.
This article contains genuine information regarding cyberbullying ,Well explained measures to stop cyberbullying which may indeed help those who are in need as it directly triggers to mental health of a person which could turn drastic after some duration.
Cyber-bullying is a kind of violence happening through electronic media, a virtual offence with real consequences. The biggest problem faced by India is that such incidents of cyber-bullying are left unreported. Due to which there is a steep rise in these crimes over the years. The best that can be done is creating awareness among adolescents on how to protect themselves and the parents should also be made to understand the intensity of such crimes on physical and mental health of their child and they should regularly monitor the social media activities of their children.
Good job by author. Its gain my knowledge on cyberbullying.
The article is well-written, however, yet again like all the previous articles there is absence of personal touch to it.
Article well explained , more awareness among teenagers should be generated as they dont understand the graveness of the matter . Many incidents have recently came out regarding the matter.
It is the use of social media to demean, intimidate or anything else to make another person feel bad or cause them to not use the Internet. Email can also be used. It is mostly done by teenagers and pre-teens against other young people. It has led to several suicides. It has had other negative affects on people that are the target of cyber bullying. It is illegal in some states, it should be illegal everywhere. Mostly the bullying uses untrue statements but sometimes it outs someone for their personal behavior.
The article is very well written. You could have added some personal touch to it.
Thank you, Lovepreet i will keep this in mind.
This is an eye-opener! The age restriction on most of these social medias is 13+ and that is for a reason. Users, both young and adult should be given workshops on internet etiquette. The article is a no-nonsense, to-the-point, much appreciated.
Thanks for this article.
Cyberbullying is one the most common issues in our young generation which causes psychological problems in our youth.This article is well written but u could have added some more information but overall it’s really a good article
Wonderfully written
The writer has focused on various elements of cyberbullying and how to be safe from it.