Social media trolls have hit the headlines this year, as have the resulting tragic cases of teen suicides. As National Anti-Bullying Week continues, Nilima Marshall examines what needs to be done to stem the tide of online bullying.
National anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label recently published the results of its Annual Cyber-bullying Survey, which revealed 69% of young people have been victims of cyber-bullying.
Liam Hackett, founder of Ditch the Label, said: “Our survey illustrates that bullying, and cyber-bullying in particular, are reaching epidemic proportions.
“Almost half of the young people we surveyed need more education on bullying and more support for the victims.
“Radical new approaches need to be taken to counteract a problem that has profound and long-lasting effects on young people in the UK.”
In the last year alone, there were repeated headlines of teens taking their own lives after suffering online bullying.
These included 14-year-old Hannah Smith from Leicestershire, Joshua Unsworth, 15, from Lancashire and Erin Gallagher, 13, from Donegal.
In Courier Country, Daniel Perry, 17, from Dunfermline, is thought to have killed himself because he was being blackmailed online.
There have been calls for new laws to tackle cyber-bullying and the UK Government has come under pressure to introduce specific legislation to address the issue.
While there is no legal definition of cyber-bullying within UK law, there are existing laws which can be applied to cases of online harassment.
These include the Protection From Harassment Act 1997, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, the Malicious Communications Act 1988, the Communications Act 2003 and the Breach of the Peace (Scotland).
In Scotland anti-bullying campaigns are led by the Scottish Government-funded respectme organisation.
A different approach to cyber-bullying is taken in Scotland, as Pamela Graham of respectme outlines.
“We have a very definite definition of bullying, which doesn’t rely on persistence and intent but which looks at the behaviour and the impact that it has on those involved,” she said.
“Regarding cyber-bullying or online bullying we’re very clear in Scotland that it shouldn’t be seen as something separate from bullying.
“Cyberbullying is a term which often instils fear and panic in people. It conjures up images of children and young people being stalked by ‘cyber-bullies’. But behind every bullying incident there’s a person.
“We can’t think of bullying in one respect and cyber-bullying in another they’re both about behaviour, about friendships breaking down or relationships not working.
“The behaviour is the same, as is the impact on those involved. It’s ‘how’ and ‘where’ this behaviour is taking place that’s changed.
“Children and young people are spending more and more time online, whether through talking to friends on BBM or Facebook, or gaming with someone on the other side of the world.
“They have access to smartphones, laptops and hand-held devices and this technology allows them to communicate in different ways.
“This means that bullying can be more intrusive, targeting children and young people at all times of the day and night and offering fewer ‘escape routes’, as switching off their phone is rarely an option.
“And while messages can be blocked, deleted or reported, they can be seen by hundreds of others within minutes and incidents can spiral out of control very quickly.
“A comment made while angry to a friend can be seen and shared in no time at all.”
She added: “Often, the biggest hurdle to dealing with online bullying is fear and anxiety among adults.
“Adults need to know where young people are going online, just as they do if they’re going to a physical space.
“They need to show the same level of interest and be just as concerned about where they go and who they’re with when they’re online.
“We cannot abdicate responsibility for this to software. We, as adults, need to make sure we’re switched on to the ways in which young people are communicating so that if they come to us and say they’re being bullied, we know how to react.”