Teaching children and teens how to stay safe on social media is part and parcel of modern parenting. We tell our children don’t give out personal information, limit their online
connections and friends to people they know in person, and remember that whatever is posted on the internet, remains
there permanently.
While the staples of online safety are now firmly entrenched in many, if not most, households, less attention is paid to
online bullying.
A 2018 Ipsos study estimated that cyberbullying in New Zealand was the third-highest worldwide (based on a survey of 29 countries), with more than 25 per cent of parents stating that their children have experienced
cyberbullying.Cyberbullying and its impact
Cyberbullying is when someone uses technology to bully someone else. It can take numerous forms and include:
Sending hateful messages
Posting mean comments on other people’s posts
Posting hurtful things about others on social media
Threatening physical harm or actions designed to embarrass
Unlike in-person bullying, cyberbullying can be difficult to identify for several reasons. For one, it's easy for
bullies to hide behind their computers. It can also be hard for parents and even victims to differentiate between
“normal” schoolyard teasing and something more insidious.
The impact of cyberbullying is similar to in-person bullying; children may become withdrawn, feel unhappy, suffer with
their self-esteem, and experience anxiety or depression.Where cyberbullying happens
Cyberbullying occurs across a variety of platforms. Most notable is how common toxic behavior is on social media and
gaming platforms. It’s been well-documented the battle between social media companies and organizations over censorship
of abusive language, but one platform that goes under the radar is YouTube.
In a Cox survey, for instance, 54 per cent of the teen participants said they had witnessed cyberbullying, and 29 per
cent of these incidents were seen on YouTube.
According to a 2018 Pew Research Centre report, 85 per cent of teens aged 13 to 17 hold a YouTube account, and of these, 32 per cent said the video-sharing giant is
the social platform they use most often.
YouTube’s broad appeal to today’s teenagers and pre-teens is down to several factors, not least the sheer breadth of
content available. There is also the potential to go viral to consider; several young celebrities found their initial
audiences on YouTube, and many others founded lucrative careers as content creators and influencers.
However, the level of abuse some notable YouTubers face can be surprising. Danielle Cohn first gained an audience with
her lip-synching and dancing videos. By the age of 13, Danielle was earning enough to help support her family, who
eventually moved to Los Angeles so Danielle could be nearer the brands she was partnered with.
Alongside her success, though, she has faced her fair share of hatred, including several Instagram pages dedicated to
anti-Danielle sentiment. Aotearoa’s own Lorde has spoken out about the cyberbullying she and her then-partner James Lowe
experienced in 2013, with many racist comments leveled at James.Preventing and handling cyberbullying
The best offense against cyberbullying is education. Parents need to have frank discussions with their children about
what it means to be a good digital citizen, which largely encompasses treating others online as we would in real life.
Parents can also ensure that children know what to do if they are experiencing online bullying:
Block, report, and remove - Bullies’ comments on the child’s own posts can be removed and reported for harassment.
Bullies themselves can be blocked.
Talk to a trusted adult - Whether that adult is a parent, a friend’s parent, a teacher, or a family friend. Adults
should remember that removing online privileges isn’t the best way to handle cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying on YouTube and other social platforms is an issue that is unlikely to go away soon, certainly not with the
increasing sway social media holds among teens. Prevention begins at home. The NZ police list a range of helpful
resources to help combat bullying here.