NURTURE
Is Your Child A
Cyberbully?
Singapore has over 104%
Internet penetration in
2012 and is far and away
one of the most connected
countries in the world.
While this is great news
for us, it also brings with it
a host of other problems.
One of the biggest –
cyberbullying.
Here is a sobering thought:
Singapore, the second smallest
Asian country after the island of
Maldives, has the second-highest
rate of online bullying among
children and youths between the
ages of eight and 17, according to a
2012 cyberbullying study conducted
by Microsoft. Among the children
polled, 58 percent said that they
were subjected to a range of online
activities that can be categorised as
online bullying and that may have
adverse effects.
In what might have been the first
case of a death in Singapore as a
result of cyberbullying, a 16-year-old
Burmese girl jumped to her death
in July 2013 after she was subjected
to a flurry of hateful comments on
Facebook from her ex-boyfriend.
Interestingly, Singapore is only
one of two countries (the other
being China) in the survey that has
a greater rate of bullying online
than offline. Associate Professor
of Criminal Justice Dr Thomas
Holt, who wrote a paper regarding
the consequences of bullying
victimisation in Singapore youth,
attributes this to our country’s
significantly higher Internet
penetration rate. “The ease of
access to technology may make
cyberbullying more attractive
to youths. They have an almost
immediate access to computers and
smartphones, which might help to
foster an environment that is more
conducive for bullying behaviour. The
lower incidence of physical bullying
could be directly correlated to their
ability to engage in cyberbullying
instead, though it may also have
to do with religious and cultural
attitudes towards violence,” explains
Dr Holt.
The ease of access to technology
may make cyberbullying more
attractive to youths. They have
an almost immediate access
to computers and smartphones,
which might help to foster
an environment that is more
conducive for bullying behaviour.
18
Family & Life • Mar 2014
What exactly is cyberbullying?
Dr Holt: One of the problems
of cyberbullying is that the
definition really varies across
different cultures. However,
in my opinion, one of the
best definitions comes from
two researchers, Hinduja
and Patchin, who argue
that cyberbullying is wilful
and repeated harm inflicted
through the medium of
electronic text. This could be anything
from a hurtful e-mail to posting an
embarrassing picture or video of
another person through social media.
Why would someone be so hurtful
to another person or even
friend online?
Dr Holt: There might be several
reasons why youths engage in
cyberbullying. Besides the ease of
access to social networking sites
and text messaging, youths might
feel that it is easy to send hurtful
messages online because they
do not actually have to interact
with the person whom they are
commenting about. Furthermore,
the fact that others can jump in
and back up their comments may
also make cyberbullying more
attractive due to the support they
can receive. In the online sphere,
people constantly say hurtful
things to one another and this
environment may make it easier
for people to cyberbully since
everyone seems to be doing it
without any repercussions.
Males
Females
More likely to engage in or
experience physical bullying
More likely to experience and
engage in cyberbullying
Male cyberbullies are more likely to
post hurtful pictures or videos
Female cyberbullies prefer spreading
rumours about other females
Male victims ar R