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The opportunities associated with the use of new technologies are vast. It is thanks to them that young people can communicate with each other easily and quickly. This has a very positive impact on building social ties. Unfortunately, communing with new technologies also has its dark sides. Young users often use cell phones or laptops to harm each other; spreading rumors, sending blasphemous texts under false names and even threats. Aggressive behavior is more often manifested in cyber space than in real life. It is a space in which the “abuser” can feel safer because he can pretend to be another person. The behavior described earlier is nothing more than cyber violence, which is characterized by deliberate and repetitive actions to the detriment of another person online.
According to the scientific literature, cyberbullying is particularly frequently recorded in Canada, Sweden, Turkey, the United States.
Researchers noted a correlation between increasing time of online activities and incidents of experiencing cyber violence. It was also noted that children of middle school age have the highest tendency to display aggressive behavior online.
Cyberbullying takes a very negative toll on the mental health of young people. Children who have suffered such suffering, in addition to “light” symptoms such as sadness or frustration, often face more severe consequences;
- Depression
- Self-blame
- Social withdrawal
- Anxiety
- Shame
- Guilt
According to research, victims of cyberbullying face symptoms of depression 3 times more often, but there is still an insufficient amount of empirical research on this topic.
Who most often commits cyberbullying?
It is estimated that online violence is most often perpetrated by people who themselves have mental health problems and are acting out their suffering by harassing others.
In addition, abusers often exhibit traits of narcissistic personality or psychopathy. In addition, abusers often exhibit traits of narcissistic personality or psychopathy. These individuals bully others in an attempt to boost their self-esteem or have a greater sense of power.
Sometimes the perpetrators of online violence are people who themselves once suffered online harassment and, having no way to get back at their abuser, hurt others in order to get rid of the inner feeling of being a victim.
People who feel lonely, ignored or excluded among their peers often engage in cyberbullying to vent their anger this way.
Today, cyberbullying is a phenomenon that is steadily increasing. The search for solutions to quickly detect cyberbullying and perpetrators is essential in order to make a real difference in stopping the effects of online violence, which are depression, anxiety and other symptoms that bring great suffering and exclusion.
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