Cyberbullying stands for the use of electronic communication or ICT-based system to bully a person such as by sending awful messages or some comments which directly or indirectly taunt/humiliate someone. The term 'cyberbullying' is a broad issue that has terrorized the hearts of many across the world and the fact that it is such a common problem sends even greater tremors through our minds and bodies. This sort of bullying takes place on digital platforms and can be committed by anyone as the identity remains anonymous and this in itself is highly petrifying.
Mental health crisis is when you feel that you are breaking down emotionally and mentally and that effectively hampers your daily life, personal relationships, working capability and your behaviour and some of the aforementioned problems that require urgent help such as you may have anxiety attacks, breathing problem, depression, laziness and can have self-harming thoughts.
A survey says, 'In January 2023, there were 44.7 million users of social media in Bangladesh that stands for 26 per cent of total population and on the other hand 38.9 per cent of our population are using internet. Mental health crisis of our country is increasing alarmingly and the suicide rate which is inherently connected to a mental health crisis is also increasing day by day.
By a survey from Anchal Foundation, in 2022 there were 532 cases of suicide and among them 76.12 per cent were teenagers. The reasons they found are: 'having mental health issue', 'emotional conflict', 'stopped from playing games (video games)', 'failed to get their own mobile phone' and the list is endless. The most common reasons as to why children aged between 9-12 years of age and teenagers are taking their own lives are because they are either getting meddled up in 'fake love relationships on social media' or getting 'trapped by hackers and scammers on social media'.
It can be said with some conviction that now we are mostly dependent on social media but the nature of social media can be good or can be bad. Social media is like a double-edged sword having its own set of benefits and drawbacks that can be quite deadly and because of the overuse of internet, it has been found that most of the teenagers are dipped in depression, anxiety and having suicidal thoughts. More specifically, if we want to focus, then we can see that students from schools, colleges and universities are facing the harsh effects of mental health crisis because they are easily affected by, for instance, a comment that someone made in their post or taunting them continuously on social media. Digital media is a platform where we can disseminate information, knowledge, our thoughts and other things however if it falls in the wrong hands then they can easily destroy our youthful generation.
In the survey given above, we can see that depression is increasing as is the online or cyber bullying along with it.
An American journal of 'preventive medicine' shows in a survey that 'the people who use social media more than 5 hours daily, are at a risk of having depression and mental health crisis. There are 10 mental health problems in the cyber world:
1. Disturbance in sleep
2. Having depression and anxiety
3. Distraction from work
4. Making you feel bad about yourself
5. Comparison
6. Hacking and scamming
7. Fake news
8. Addiction and laziness
9. Cheating in relationships
10. Reducing face-to-face conversation skills
The digital technology when used to bully a person or try to harass a person is known as cyberbullying. Such crimes mostly happen through social media handles such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and on gaming platforms through creating fake user accounts, also in dating apps by
impersonating someone or it can even take place through online messaging platforms.
Common instances include:
1. Spreading Rumor or posting something fake (fake photographs, fake video) about someone on social media platform
2. Spreading negativity or hateful message or threaten someone via online messaging platforms
3. Opening of fake accounts and scamming by forming shameful identities
to rob someone online
The impact of cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying is not the same because cyberbullying leaves a digital imprint on someone's life and mind.
In the year 2022, approximately 50.3 million social media users scattered all over Bangladesh have been active on a monthly basis and in between the years
2021-2022 the annual growth rate of active social media users in Bangladesh has been 10.1 per cent and this comprises about 29.7 per cent of the total population.
Alternatively, albeit with a limited sample size, a survey in 2021 provided by a local university has displayed that almost all urban students are active users of Facebook.
The effects of cyberbullying are highly disturbing as one can even feel that they are being attacked anywhere which even includes the comfort of their own homes and such a helpless feeling can make anyone feel mentally frustrated. This definitely leaves a lasting impact because a person being a victim of cyberbullying may not even be able to voice out their feelings openly as they might be under the impression that they will be judged by everyone and this in turn leads them to fall into greater depression. Due to the increased use of social media, teenagers as various research suggests are more susceptible to falling victims to this horrifying issue of cyber bullying. Statistically approximately about 29 per cent to 30 per cent people have claimed to be bullied online before the pandemic and around 18 per cent fell victim to such bullying since Covid-19.
As cyberbullying is such a common problem that is deeply embedded in our society and also due to the huge public outcry in regards to harassment caused by such bullying, people in our country need to be aware of the laws that govern cyberbullying in order to safeguard their rights. Victims of cyberbullying and harassment in Bangladesh can protect themselves using the following laws:
A. ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Act 2006
B. The Pornography Control Act 2012
Cybercrimes can take place against the followings:
- Against Persons
- Against the Government
- Against Property
Currently we have eight cyber tribunals which is a special tribunal that deals with cybercrimes and they are scattered all over Bangladesh, there is one in Chattogram and others in Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal, Mymensingh, Sylhet and Rangpur. Due to the increase of the number of cyber tribunals, it will be easier for litigants to get help and get access to justice because previously there was only one cyber tribunal and that was located in Dhaka.
Being a human, it is normal to have mental health crisis in daily life but nowadays the mental health crisis is increasing rapidly because of cyberbullying. People who want to have a healthy, peaceful, calm and generous life should be cautious about their mental health besides their physical health because mental health is equally important as physical health. And in case people feel the blues or are getting frustrated or are being triggered because of social media or cyber sites then they should not keep it to themselves and should be encouraged to speak out and express their feelings. Everyone should be made aware that it is okay to find support and seek help which also includes seeking help from law instead of shying away and bottling up emotions because at the end of the day, laws exist to save, help and to protect us. And in order to live harmoniously in our society, we need to ensure that we follow the laws and protect boundaries which will help us live peacefully with each other.
Tasnim Hasan Saara is a Lecturer of North South University (Department of Law) and Mir Yeakin Jim is a student of the same department