Cyberbullying: how to stay safe on social media

Cyberbullying is bullying by using one of the online platforms that are available like Facebook, Snapchat or WhatsApp. People have always bullied each other, even Adam and Eve when they were living in paradise and thereafter people have been bullying each other using all available ways to do so.

Today, we have new means of bullying like cyber technology and the Internet is a very powerful thing that can be used for a lot of purposes. Here, one of our top psychiatrists Dr Lars Davidsson shares his expert opinion on why people bully, the effects it can have on someone and how visiting a psychiatrist can help victims of online bullying.

Who can be affected by cyberbullying?

Anyone could be affected by online bullying. The issue is more how vulnerable you are and obviously children and young adults are more vulnerable than older adults because maybe the vast majority experience less of everything.

If you look at some threads on Facebook or YouTube, people can be very horrible. They can say and do things that they would never do face-to-face with someone. There are huge amounts of people who have an opinion by giving ‘likes’ or ‘dislikes.’ You could easily go into a thread dealing with controversial topics such as immigration, abortion or global warming.
 

What effects can cyberbullying have on someone?

Cyberbullying can be in the form of death threats, threats of violence and various action connotations. If these threats are taken seriously it could have the most horrible effects on people, especially young people who are more vulnerable. Worryingly, there are chat rooms for people who take an interest in self-harming and committing suicide and killing themselves in front of a camera. Anything you could think of exists, including the dark web.
 

Are there certain signs to look out for if I think someone is being bullied online?

Parents should be aware of what children and young adults are looking at on the internet. I don’t think that there is any wrong in parents asking their children what kind of forums that they are visiting. There are electronic solutions that enable you to lock sites for people of a certain age. It’s not only bullying but other content that you might not wish your children to take part with.

You may not be completely successful in controlling what content your child views. If you are worried then you should keep an eye on how your child appears and look for the following:

• Are they happy or anxious?
• Do they sleep?
• Are they eating?
• Is your child withdrawn?
• Do they appear upset about something?
• Are they moody?
• Is there anything that sticks out differently with their behaviour?
   

What can adults do if they are being bullied on a social network?

You can block people and report them. Facebook has a number of strict rules as to what you can say but they are dependent on. If people are making threats of various kinds, these should be stopped. In some cases, the police can deal with any serious threats that have been made towards you but they are unable to do anything until it has been reported to them.
 

How can visiting a psychiatrist help a victim of cyberbullying?

We do the same things that we do for anyone else who is in emotional and psychological distress, irrespective of the reasons. We ask people whether they have they been bullied in the workplace or at school, or wherever people have been unkind and unfriendly, such as in a chatroom giving inappropriate suggestions.
 

Why do people bully?

Some people feel safe to bully and can do whatever they want anonymously, they are not responsible the same way as if it were in person. I think people have an inner need to bully others, which happens a lot in the playground at school. The internet is worse because there is no limit, you can say and do whatever and don’t need to restrain yourself.
 

What do you think is the future of cyberbullying?

As technology and society develop, we will always find new threats and new sources of distress. When the Internet first came, everyone was very enthusiastic and thought that we would be much better informed and educated. However, everything has a back side, which we do not notice, such as the dark side to the Internet.

We don’t know what will happen in the future but for now, we have been made aware that there is a problem with cyberbullying. We get angry and upset but we are increasingly aware that this fantastic ever-evolving technology is also creating problems of that nature.

Book an appointment with Dr Davidsson now if you’re a victim of bullying and need someone to turn to.