Children’s Internet Safety 29 CYBERBULLYING cont’d continued How does cyberbullying differ from face-to-face bullying? One of the biggest differences between cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying is that cyberbullying is often hard to get away from.Young people can be bullied anywhere, anytime – even when they’re at home.Additionally: • It can reach a vast audience in a matter of seconds. • ‘Repetition’ is taken to a different level, with bullies sharing hurtful comments and images multiple times. • Cyberbullying can impact children at any time of day or night. • It can offer a degree of anonymity to the perpetrator. • It’s difficult to police and to punish. • There is often some form of evidence (e.g. screenshot, text message). What impact can cyberbullying have on a child? Cyberbullying can have a huge impact on a young person and it can affect them in different ways, including: • Mentally – feeling upset, embarrassed, stupid, even afraid or angry • Emotionally – feeling ashamed or losing interest in the things they love • Physically – tired (loss of sleep), or experiencing symptoms like stomach aches and headaches As well as this, it can spark feelings of fear for young people. Our 2023 survey found that 77% of children that experienced online abuse found it ‘scary’. Child Trauma Psychotherapist Catherine Knibbs also highlights the feelings a child might experience, or behaviour they might show, as a cyberbully: Embarrassment Embarrassment is about looking like a ‘fool’ to others but having the resilience to ‘laugh it off ’. Neuroscientifically, it’s something you can recover from pretty quickly. Image by freepik.com
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