Cyberbullying takes many forms. It does not always imply hacking somebody’s profile or posing as someone else. It also includes making derogatory statements about an individual or spreading misinformation in order to discredit someone. Because everyone is engrossed in e social networks, it is very easy for anyone to abuse this access. Smile India Trust stands against cyberbullying which destroys many lives.

In other words, cyberbullying is now extremely common. It includes actions aimed at manipulating, harassing, or defaming anyone. These hostile actions are deeply destructive and can quickly and severely harm anyone. They occur on social media platforms, online forums, as well as other online data websites. A cyberbully is not always an outsider; it could be someone you know.

Bullying nowadays is no longer restricted to college, school, etc. It’s a misconception that cyberbullying is restricted to children, but now it includes adults also. With advancements in technology the risk of cyberbullying also increasing.  People often need to be sensitive before sharing information with others, whether known or unknown. They probably should share information wisely. Therefore, there should be zero trust on the internet no matter whom you are speaking to don’t trust blindly.

Despite many awareness and precaution programs due to lack of knowledge and moreover, sometimes they fear what society will say. People should come out fearlessly and report the incident. It is a very serious condition as it affects victim’s life very badly. Consequently, this leads to humiliation, and sometimes victims kill herself/himself.

Smile India Trust: Type of Cyber Bullying

Cyberbullying is defined as intentionally causing harm to a person using technology such as cell phones, laptop computers, or other electronic devices on multiple occasions. Individuals who are frequent internet users are more likely to fall than others.

Many people share or post various types of content in the age of the internet. Personal content, as well as any negative, mean, or threatening content, ends up creating a sort of record forever of their beliefs, activities, and behavior. Smile India Trust broadly describes Cyber Bullying is broadly divided into terms based on its nature:

1.    Harassment:

If someone is harassing online, one or more people confront them with a series of offensive messages or attempts to contact them. Folks can be harassed through social media, mobile phones, and email. The victim will receive the majority of contact that is evil or endangering.

2.    Cyber Stalking:

Cyber Stalking, like bullying, involves the offender making — has made to contact with the victim. However, unlike harassment, individuals are more likely to cyberstalk another person because they have strong feelings for that person, whether positive or negative.

Cyberstalker is much more inclined to extend their stalking into the public sphere.

3.    Disguise:

Disguise is a type of online harassment in which the abuser pretends to be someone else. It only takes a few seconds for a child to create a false email account and a fake social profile. They can simply download a photo from the web or another profile to confirm credibility. Another method is to imitate somebody else and use that person’s identity to mail , malicious emails to others in order to harm the killer’s reputation.

Statistics of Cyber Bullying in India

In 2021, India noted 52,974 incidents of cybercrime, a nearly 6% increase over the previous year. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Telangana topped the list of states, accounting for more than 19 percent. In 2021, the state reported 10,303 cases, a 105 percent increase over the previous year. However, the next two states on the list, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka saw their numbers fall by 20% and 24%, respectively.

According to Indian parents, nearly half of their children have been the victims of racist cyber bullying, which is 14 percent more than the global average of 28 percent. Apart from racism, the most severe types of cyberbullying noted, are trolling (36%), personal attacks (29%), sexual harassment (30%), threat of personal harm (28%), and doxing (23%), all of which are nearly double the global average.

Effects of Cyber Bullying

Cyberbullying affects a person badly Smile India Trust discusses the effects of Cyber Bullying

When cyberbullying occurs with a person (or victim), the victim feels threatened from all directions. It appears that there is no way out for them. Cyberbullying has long-term consequences. It can have an impact on a person’s private life in the following ways:

·        Emotionally

Cyberbullying is a significant source of anxiety in people’s lives. Even the victim begins to keep blaming himself, loses interest in everything, and eventually fades away.

·        Low Self Esteem

When cyberbullying occurs, the victim feels powerless. It also affects his or her self-esteem. The victim begins to feel deeply dissatisfied with themselves. As a result, they begin to doubt their worth and value.

·        Suicidal Thoughts

When cyberbullying becomes unbearable for the victim, they resort to extreme measures. Victims of cyberbullying begin to give up hope and take drastic measures to rid themselves of it.

·        Depression

Depression symptoms can vary with every person. As a result, it can be mild to Severe. It can hurt a person and impact the quality of life. This enables a person to understand anything and leads to depression.

·        Feeling of Powerlessness

All of the above-mentioned emotional and psychological effects of cyberbullying can lead to a sense of helplessness. This detrimental issue is nearly difficult to overcome, especially without the assistance of parents, guardians, or teachers. Children and teenagers may give up on many areas of their lives because they truly believe that there’s nothing those who can do to stop the bullying and aggressive behavior.

Solution for Cyber Bullying

The prevention of cyberbullying is often neglected. Adopting a proper prevention method may result in the complete elimination of cyberbullying; if not, it will be addressed or dealt with. 

Tell someone

When it comes to bullying, we stop, don’t discuss with others, and hide it.  It’s a problem with the majority of the population. You should stop feeling embarrassed and need to talk to someone whom you trust, rather than feeling ashamed.  Most importantly, if you are bullied you need to reach out immediately to the concerned authority.

Keep Data Secure

You need to be more careful when you are using a social networking site. Keep your all important data secure and safe. Make sure you are using strong passwords and are not sharing your data with others.

Laws against Cyber Bullying in India

The Internet is undoubtedly a boon to our society as it , brings us closer to our near and dear ones. We are using this technology to make the world a better place to live.  However, it may become a bane when used in the wrong way. Similarly, Cyber Bullying is one such example. The government of India is very strict about this and many provisions made to tackle this problem.

Before discussing, the laws you must know what falls under Cyberbullying

• Using Defamatory Words
• Flaming Fight Online uses false language
• Using other identities without his permission.

While there are no specific laws in India to regulate cyberbullying, Section 66A of the Information Technology Act does. However, the Act establishes penalties for having to send obnoxious, offensive, or insulting communications via digital and informational communication technology.

Smile India Trust discusses all Anti Cyber Laws in India to safeguard individuals from this.

• Section 66 E – Violation of Privacy the abuser can be get punished for 3 years.
• Section 67– Transmitting obscene material in digital form can get a punishment up to 5 years and a fine of 10 lakhs
• Section 67 A– Spreading obscene material in electronic form
• Section 292 A– Printing, selling, advertising grossly indecent or scurrilous matter, or matter intended for blackmail.
• Section 354A– Showing pornography to a woman against her will or making a sexually colored mark
• Section 354D-Stalking a woman through mobile phone, internet, mail, and any other form.
• Section 507– If anyone receives criminal intimidation  through call it shall be punished with  imprisonment of 2 years

Conclusion

Smile India Trust sees bullying as a major setback for an individual and society as it destroys a person’s life and affects him/her badly and deeply. Our NGO encourages anyone who has been the victim of cyberbullying to seek help and we counsel them to stay strong mentally. 

For any kind of guidance or support, you can write us at [email protected]. Visit our website to understand our work in detail. Click on https://smileindiatrust.org/to know more about us. Follow us on various social media platforms. We are available on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter