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The chicane can quickly stop what those affected by cyberbullying can do
A survey in the penultimate year came to the conclusion that every third student was Internet bullying victims. And according to the 2014 JIM study, 17 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds were harassed by cyberbullying. But students and parents are not necessarily helpless. Those affected should know about prevention and intervention.
Public appearance provides attack surface for bullying
The vast majority of young people use social media platforms on which they can present and stage themselves in public. A problem with this is that this presentation also provides a target for bullying. Above all, teenagers are affected, although about every third adult German is affected, as a study by the "Alliance Against Cyberbullying" showed. On the other hand, one is not powerless. Students and their parents should prevent and - if it comes to incidents - fight back.
Cyberbullying. Image: micmacpics - fotolia A new form of violence
"This type of self-expression on the Internet always provides a way to bully others," said Brigit Kimmel, Educational Director of the EU initiative Klicksafe to the news agency dpa. "If a digital content falls into the wrong hands, it can lead to a rapid, unstoppable distribution." However, such network-based content is not necessarily due to a single culprit. Cyberbullying is a new form of violence. "It refers to the harassment and completion of a person using the Internet, mobile or social networks," said Criminal Superintendent Harald Schmidt of the police crime prevention of the states and the federal government. Not only insulting comments but also pictures and videos of a victim are spread on the internet. "Through this public, which produces a perpetrator on the net, deliberately and willingly learns a victim an additional humiliation," said Schmidt to the dpa. Particularly problematic is that such content can hardly be deleted from the network.
Victims suffer differently
Pedagogue Birgit Kimmel differentiates between four types. At the chicane, the victim repeatedly receives insulting and hurtful messages via e-mail, SMS or messenger. In slandering, however, rumors are spread over the network over a large area. At the time of exposure, the perpetrator sends confidential information about the victim to a third party, and exclusion or exclusion prevents the victim from participating - for example in groups or chats. Many bullying victims suffer for a lifetime, health experts report. "Frequent consequences of bullying as well as cyberbullying are performance degradation, psychosomatic illnesses, self-injurious behavior as well as extreme revenge and violence fantasies to suicidal thoughts and suicide," explained Kimmel. Girls often direct their aggression against themselves or inwardly, while boys tend to put it outside.
Those affected often do not get help until late or at all
Many sufferers still keep their problems to themselves. "Most victims of bullying often ignore what they are experiencing because they feel guilty and reproach themselves," Kimmel explained. In many cases, therefore, the victims get only late or no help. The reactions of children and adolescents who are affected by cyberbullying are quite different: "Some are intimidated and retreat to avoid having more of an attack surface," said spokeswoman for the parents' media advisor "Schau hin," Susanne Rieschel. "Others are oppressed, unusually silent or tense, react aggressively or get sick." It could lead to sleep problems and complaints before school. "When parents talk to them, many young people downplay their situation," Rieschel said.
Report offenders and / or block them
Cybermobbing victims should pay attention. If the bullying is done through social media, you can report or block the bully on most services. For example, Facebook launched its anti-bullying portal last year under the slogan "Stop Mobbing". These measures "are important first steps so that the bully can not continue to bother," said Kimmel. "If that does not work, there's a chance to get yourself a new profile, a new mobile phone number, or a new mail address." It's best not to respond to insulting messages.
Affected people should by no means remain passive: "Depending on the degree of escalation of the conflict and the relationship with the offender, it may also be appropriate to urge the perpetrator to quit," said the teacher. Basically, backing up the evidence is important: "Copying with unpleasant news, pictures, or online conversations can help show others what happened, and give them a greater chance of finding the culprits," Kimmel explained. The expert advises generally to give as little personal information as possible on the net and to decide in case of doubt against sending or publishing images. Parents should discuss cyberbullying with their children as early as possible to prevent it.
Cyberbullying is not punishable directly
"There is no specific offense that criminalizes cyberbullying," said Schmidt. However, cyberbullying can present various offenses, such as insults. "Whether a criminal offense is present, depends on the wording and the overall context," said the Kriminaloberrat. But also photomontages or gestures such as the so-called "stinky finger" could be seen as an insult in the overall context. In addition, in cyberbullying, other criminal offenses exist, such as threat, extortion, personal injury or breach of the secrecy of correspondence. "Basically, children under 14 years are punishable by criminal law, even if an illegal act is present," said the expert. (Ad)