Cyber-bullying is rarely random; there is often a connection between the victim and the bully. The daily routine of most children leaves them open to cyber bullying. On an average, they are spending between 1 to 5 hours on various things in cyber space, every day. More than 80% of the students using Facebook upload their pictures and personal information, and an astonishing 70% believe that sharing information online is completely safe. Being on social networks is considered a necessity and of the hundreds and thousands of “friends” on their friends list only 10 friends may be known to their family.
A typical cyber-fuelled life follows a pattern among children:
- Waking up early to check WhatsApp and Facebook (and sleep again)
- Thinking about statuses that will receive the most likes and comments while showering, getting ready for school
- Discussing about exciting posts or pictures/videos seen the previous night before the assembly in school
- Praying to God during assembly to give more “likes”
- The trending topics on Facebook are the topics of discussion in the classrooms
- Dining with gadgets in hand, concentrating only on who, what, when, where, and amount of likes.
- Living a nocturnal life – the day actually begins at night; gaming, doing homework, watching videos, and all the social happenings occur till the wee hours of the next morning.
For students, virtual world of social media has now become the real world and maintaining strong presence online has become a vital task. A single “like” on their photos or status can make or break their day. A negative comment can make them fall into the deep pits of self-doubt. All their emotions are anchored to the activities on social media. No one wants to miss out anything which is ‘trending’ or else they feel they are not quick or smart enough to know about the latest gossip.
