Over one-third of S’pore youth experienced cyberbullying: Study

SINGAPORE — More than one-third of Singaporean youth have experienced cyberbullying — including witnessing it or being its victims or the ones who bully others online, said a study by American computer security software company McAfee.

The 2014 Teens and the Screen study, released yesterday, found that of 177 youths, or 34.6 per cent who indicated they had experienced cyberbullying, 61 per cent had witnessed the act being done to others.

Also, 29.4 per cent, or 52, of the 177 youths, said they had bullied others online, while 27.7 per cent, or 49 youths, said they had been bullied online.

A McAfee public relations representative said there were overlaps in the findings, given that someone who had experienced cyberbullying could have also bullied someone else.

“Of those who responded that they had been cyberbullied, the majority cited that it was due to appearance and academic achievements,” said McAfee in its press release on the study. “Compared with other countries, religion, race or sexuality play a less significant role in Singapore.”

The study polled 512 young men and women aged 13 to 18, and was split evenly in terms of age and gender. The interviews were conducted from June 25 to July 11.

Of those who witnessed cyberbullying, 43 per cent said victims became defensive or angry, while 57 per cent said victims had deleted their social media accounts. The survey also found that 41 per cent of youth would not know what to do if they were harassed or bullied online.

Online bullying paves the way for real-life confrontations — the study showed 44 per cent of the youth had been involved in an argument due to a post on social media.

A further 13 per cent said the original online altercation had led to a physical fight.

Mr David Freer, vice-president of the Asia-Pacific Consumer business at McAfee, part of Intel Security, said: “Parents should have an open discussion with their children, so they will be better equipped to keep themselves safe online.

“The experience of cyberbullying or being cyberbullied can have a deep and lasting effect on a child’s identity and life offline.”

However, parents may find it difficult to monitor their children’s online behaviour, with 90 per cent of youth surveyed saying they had taken action to hide their online behaviour from their parents.

In March, Parliament passed the Protection From Harassment Act, which covers harassment in the online sphere, including online sexual harassment and cyberbullying.