Study: Cyberbullying causes depression, nightmares, anorexia
MANILA,Philippines - The effects of cyberbullying is far worse than what we have imagined. A recent study conducted by Kaspersky Lab and iconKids & Youth warned parents about how cyberbullying negatively affects their children's psychological, emotional and physical well-being.
Cyberbullying is intentional intimidation, persecution or abuse that children and teenagers may encounter on the Internet. Based on the survey which included children aged 8 to 16 years old, 16 percent of the children surveyed are more afraid of being bullied online than offline, while half are equally afraid of both real-life and virtual bullying. Seven out of 10 children who admitted to have been bullied said they experienced trauma.
Among the effects of cyberbullying, as noted by the parents of the cyberbullied children, are lower self-esteem, depression, inactivity, nightmares and anorexia.
Just as worrying are the statistics showing that 20 percent of children witnessed others being bullied online, and in seven percent of cases even participated in it. The survey shows that children often hide incidents of cyberbullying from their parents, making the task of protecting them even more complicated, though, fortunately, not impossible.
“In an effort to protect our children from danger, we must not forget that they not only live in the real world but also in the virtual world, which is just as real to them. On the Internet, children socialize, learn new things, have fun and, unfortunately, encounter unpleasant situations,” said Andrei Mochola, Head of Consumer Business at Kaspersky Lab.
“Cyberbullying is one of the most dangerous things that can confront a child on the Internet, because it can have a negative impact on their psyche and cause problems for the rest of their lives. The best solution in this case is to talk to your child and to use parental control software that can alert you to any suspicious changes to their social network page,” he explained. - Alixandra Caole Vila
