Just like every invention or innovation that comes with its pros and cons. The Internet as wonderful as it is, has its loopholes. People have found love, made friends, secured business connections, become part of a community, and had their voice aired and heard in the internet space and I can say the internet has in its way compressed time and distance; we now have access to billions of data and people from near and wide just at our fingertips. But this bundle of joy comes with a looming darkness of cyberbullying, theft, and threats.
Victims of cyberbullying are shattered, their self-esteem dismembered and their carcass thrown to the ‘vultures’ of the internet, people who care less how their words, and actions can affect the other person. A lot of cyber victims give into depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychotic problems, and ultimately suicide.
Top of the list of these victims are Pre-teens and teenagers between the age of 9- 17 years old. These groups of victims are often vulnerable, reckless, adventurous, and feeble at heart. They tend to share so much and understand so little about boundaries and data privacy. A typical example is the ‘story of Amanda Todd’ a fifteen-year-old girl who committed suicide at home in Port Coquitlam.
This heart-wrenching story of a bright, beautiful young girl who ended her life abruptly, uncovers the lying danger of unrestricted internet access.
I felt her need to be accepted, I recognized her vulnerability; because I was once a teenager and I know the roller coaster emotions that come with that stage of life, I was naïve, stubborn, adventurous, and careless. I didn’t think someone who I don’t know, or have ever offended would want to harm me. And now as a grown-up, I am thankful for the parental and school supervision that kept me in check.
How cyber safety was implemented in my schooling? Firstly, we were not allowed to come to school with phones. Secondly, I wasn’t allowed to have or use an Android phone, till I became an adult. Thirdly, internet access to the computer was timed and monitored. I had no digital education, just restrictions and rumours of people being scammed online.
Techniques used for me while I was schooling?
- Restricted and Monitored access to the internet
- Scare tactics
These techniques are only effective in the short- term and do not protect the child from cyberbullying, it only buys time. What happens when I as an adult have unlimited access to the internet?
I believe these techniques should be implemented alongside digital literacy and cyber safety education, especially now that we are in a digital age and children are exposed to the internet for (educational purposes) at an early age. They need to be taught how to protect themselves, taught boundaries, not to overshare, and also to report any uncomfortable conversation online.
Here is a link to 2024 cyberbullying statistics on pre-teens and teenagers.
Hello Sandra,
Your points are spot-on. While restrictions and scare tactics might offer some short-term protection, they fall short in preparing individuals for the realities of the digital world. As you mentioned, with unlimited access to the internet as adults, the effectiveness of these measures diminishes rapidly. Thank you for sharing your experience with cyber safety and digital citizenship.