BLAME technology, or its misuse at least, Kaspersky Lab Zakrytoe Aktsionernoe Obschestvo (KL ZAO) Co. said on the evolution of schoolyard bullying to intimidation in the digital playground, called cyberbullying.
And about 17 percent of all students have been victims of cyberbullying attacks, KL ZAO said, citing its research. The research by KL ZAO and media psychologists from the University of Wuerzburg in Germany also showed that one out of five teenagers between the ages of 12 and 15 have been subject to cyberbullying.
“This is a critical developmental stage in a young person’s life as children approach puberty and begin to spend more time online. Also, with the rise in popularity of social-media networks, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, children’s life offline is becoming more interwoven with his life online.”
The Internet opened new doors for bullies to intimidate and hurt the vulnerable teenagers, according to Jimmy Fong, KL ZAO channel sales director for Southeast Asia.
“Likewise, the increased social-media use among children has unwittingly open the doors wider and make them more prone to cyberbullying attacks,” Fong was quoted in a statement as saying.
The rise in social-media presence of children in the Philippines exposes more teenagers to cyberbullying incidents, Fong added.
KL ZAO cited a 2011 report from AGB Nielsen that showed almost two-thirds, or 65 percent, of the 6 million Filipino Internet users are teenagers. The Russian digital security firm added that social-media users in the country use networking sites 53 hours a week, 11 hours more than the global average of 42 hours.
KL ZAO recommends teaching children about the responsible use of technology, especially social-media networking sites, to protect them from cyberbullying.
“Children need to develop a sense of morality when they are interacting with other people online, just as much as they do when they are communicating offline. This will give them more empathy and reduce the likelihood of them opting to engage in cybercrime or cyberbullying,” David Emm, KL ZAO security researcher, was quoted in a statement as saying.
“It’s also important so that they understand, from an early age, the potential dangers associated with some online activities,” Emm added.