More and more young people are involved in cases of cyberbullying through digital media, due to extensive use and anonymity of the network. Discover what to do about cyberbullying and how to prevent it.

A recent WHO report placed the highest incidence of insults and threats to minors through the Internet, WhatsApp or social networks.
A problem whose repercussions can range from a decrease in self-esteem to an increased risk of depression and even to self-harm and suicide attempts. Discover all the clues about what cyberbullying is and what to do when it arises and how to prevent it?

What is cyberbullying?

The term cyberbullying is an extension of harassment in technological media, by phone or online, sexting, whereby a person (stalker) tries to undermine the self-esteem of another harassed or bullied, sending messages threatening, intimidating or blackmailing through email or instant messaging services (chat, WhatsApp or Messenger), SMS or social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat).

Before the use of technology was extended, in the phenomenon of bullying or harassment or emotional abuse, there was a face-to-face encounter between the stalker and the harassed, accompanied by insults, threats, and teasing, and could also lead to aggression physics as a way to get what the stalker wanted.

In recent years, and thanks to awareness campaigns, especially in schools, aimed at both teachers and parents, the number of cases of direct harassment has been reduced.

However, it has given way to the new phenomenon of cyberbullying, sponsored by the generalization of the use of mobile devices and the use of the Internet, in addition to the idea of anonymity on the network, which gives the stalker some impunity for his actions.

Some experts distinguish between cyberbullying, the first being the one that occurs through the use of new technologies; restricting the term of cyber bullying only to cases where the harassment is carried out among minors using technological means.

The growing number of cases among adolescents is especially worrying. For example, almost a third of those under 17 claim to have suffered cyber bullying, and even 19% admit to having insulted the network, while about 6% admit to having suffered harassment on social networks sometimes, according to a report of Save the Children.

In Latin America, according to UNESCO data, more than 50% of primary school students have been victims of bullying, a danger that is enhanced in the network.

If you want to know more about bullying laws, do not hesitate to get in touch with cyberbullying.org.