New Delhi: Almost 85% of children in India experience cyberbullying, including those who have perpetrated it themselves.
That’s nearly twice as high as the global average.
A study titled ‘Cyberbullying in Plain Sight’ was carried out by cybersecurity firm McAfee between June 15 and July 5, involving 11,687 parents and their children from 10 nations.
Some common forms of cyberbullying, which is an act of abusing an individual or group online, are racism, sexual harassment, insults to one’s character and trolling.
Why does India top this absolutely unwanted list?
There are many forms of cyberbullying which are not considered to be mean by many in India. Lack of information, manners education, and behavioural patterns among children is another major reason.
Lack of understanding of the impact which can be caused by a mean comment or personal attack is largely seen as the reason for staggering numbers of cyberbullying among kids in India.
According to the study, children in India aged between 10 and 14 use smartphones at an average rate of 83%, whereas the global average is 76%.
The study found that a common form of cyberbullying in India was spreading false news (reported by 39% of respondents), exclusion from groups and chats (35%), and name-calling (34%).
As high as 45% of the kids admitted that they didn’t share their cyberbullying experiences with parents.
An earlier study published by McAfee dealt with internet risk exposure of Indian children along with advice for parents on how to protect their kids from cyberbullying.
