Cyber bullying: A vice in the modern world
Mubashir Azmat
‘One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered’ (Michael J Fox)
Bullying means physical or physiological pain and hurt in a planned way to suppress and distress the victims which are mostly students.
And when the bullying is executed through electronic devices or means like mobile phones, computers, tablets etc via online platforms then it comes to be known as cyber bullying. What I found by reading cyber bullying stories of victims on cyber bullying research centre that cyber bullying is very harmful because it pushes a person towards anxiety and depression.
Cyber bullying includes sending, posting or sharing negative, derogatory, false or mean content about someone else. It also includes sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation.
All these things have negative repercussions on the mental well-being of the victim. It causes long lasting problems. The stress of being in a constant state of upset or fear can lead to problems like mood swings, lack of energy and motivation, lack of sound sleep etc.
It also makes the victim jumpy, anxious or sad. If someone is already depressed or anxious cyber bullying can make things much worse. All these things have a complex impact on our personal and professional life. It decreases one’s academic interests. Kids who witness bullying are more likely to have increased use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.
°What are the common platforms through which cyber bullying takes place?
.Social media apps such as Facebook , Instagram , snapchat and recently banned tiktok
.Text messaging apps on mobile phones
.Through emails
.Online gaming communities etc
All these platforms are made for connectivity, communication, information and entertainment purposes but some people are misusing it by bullying and annoying others .
What one should do, when being bullied?
If you are being bullied, harassed or teased you should not suffer it with silence. In Fact you should report any upsetting text messages, posts or emails. Following steps should be taken to avoid this mental harassment.
Ignore: The best way to counter cyber bullying is to avoid posts, comments, messages because ignoring bullies is the best way to take away their power. If you found anything upsetting , don’t respond with rage and anger, just turn off your phone or laptop for a while because these bullies have only motive to annoy and make you feel low but when you don’t respond or retaliate they will lack their motive and there is a possibility that they will stop it .
Tell someone: Incase you are being bullied by someone do share with a mature person whom you trust about bullying or harassment. He might find ways to motivate and help you.
Report bullying: Social media sites take it seriously when someone posts cruel or mean stuff or set up fake accounts. If users report abuse, the site administrator may block the bully from using the site in future.
Block the bully: All the devices have the option to block the bully or bullies from sending messages or voice notes.
Do we have any law regarding cyber bullying?
There is no specific legislation that provides for the specific cyber bullying laws in India however, provisions such as Section 67 of the Information Technology Act deals with cyber bullying in a way. Section 67 of the act prescribes punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form for a term which may extend to five years and also with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees.
Other than Section 67 of the IT Act following are the provisions of the cyber bullying laws in India:
Section 507 IPC- The section states that if anyone receives criminal intimidation by way of anonymous communication then the person giving threats shall be punished with imprisonment for up to two years. By virtue of word ‘anonymous’ the offense of anti-bullying and cyber bullying is included in this section.
Section 66 E of IT Act -The section prescribes punishment for violation of privacy. The section states that any person who intentionally violates the privacy by transmitting, capturing or publishing private pictures of others shall be punished with up to three years imprisonment or fine up to three lakhs.
Apart from these legislations there is a great need of formulating specific laws for cyber bullying because it is creating a great nuisance among youngsters. Some people do this bad act for fun but the victim either falls under depression or moves towards drugs which at the end destroy their personal as well as professional life.
If someone is too sensitive bullying can also cause him to commit suicide. Bullying is also done in schools by colleagues and to deal with bullying at school there is no separate legislation in India but there is a dire need to stop bullying.
Bullying in schools and especially in boarding schools and hostels is largely prevalent in India. Even in colleges and universities bullying is also prevalent despite the fact that UGC has made a provision for newly admitted students to fill an anti-ragging form to avoid this bad act of bullying in colleges. Allah (SWT) also says in Quran in Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 11:“O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” [49:11].
(The author is pursuing BA LL.B at Aligarh Muslim University)
