Unicef: Cyber bullying affects 70% of youth

MANILA, Philippines — Online violence, cyber bullying and digital harassment affect over 70 percent of young people globally, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as it called on internet users to “be kind online” and prevent this form of violence.

A recent one-million-strong UNICEF poll of 15- to 24-year-olds from more than 160 countries prompted the agency’s call, along with a series of student-led #ENDviolence Youth Talks held globally, which examined what parents, teachers and policymakers could do to keep youths safe.

“We’ve heard from children and young people from around the globe and what they are saying is clear: the internet has become a kindness desert,” UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore said during the observance of Safer Internet Day on Tuesday.

The proportion of children and adolescents affected by cyberbullying ranges from five percent to 21 percent, with girls at higher risk than boys, according to data from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

“Cyberbullying can cause profound harm as it can quickly reach a wide audience, and can remain accessible online indefinitely, virtually ‘following’ its victims online for life,” the UNICEF said.

It added that bullying and cyberbullying also feed each other, forming “a continuum of damaging behavior.”

Victims of cyberbullying are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, skip school, receive poor grades and experience low self-esteem and health problems. In extreme situations, it has even led to suicide.

On Safer Internet Day, celebrated globally on Feb. 5, the UNICEF reminded everyone that “kindness – both online and off – is a responsibility that begins with each of us.”

In honor of the UN child-rights convention, which turns 30 this November, UNICEF is also calling for renewed urgency and cooperation to put children’s rights at the forefront of digital efforts.

“Thirty years after the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the creation of the World Wide Web, it is time for governments, families, academia and the private sector to put children and young people at the center of digital policies,” Fore added.

“By protecting them from the worst the internet has to offer and expanding access to its best, we can each help tip the balance for good,” the UNICEF chief said.

The UNICEF stressed that “in the end, kindness stood out as one of the most powerful means to prevent bullying and cyberbullying.”

“That’s why on this Safer Internet Day, UNICEF is inviting everyone, young and old, to be kind online, and calling for greater action to make the internet a safer place for everyone,” Fore stressed.

The youth, regardless of income level, has become a mainstay of the internet.

The UN International Telecommunications Union said 94 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds in developed countries are online, and more than 65 percent of their developing country counterparts are well ahead of the pace of internet usage among the general population. – With Janvic Mateo