Mental Health

Origin and consequences of Cyber Harassment on your mental health

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In my last article, I spoke about the dangers of social media on your mental health. I explained that they had many consequences on our health until triggered diseases like addiction. I notably talked about the loss of self-confidence or depression, but I approached general cases without going into details. I would now like to take a closer look at a more specific one, which unfortunately is increasingly spreading, the cyber harassment. We will wonder what will be the consequences on the mental health of the victim but also why the harasser acts like this

First of all, what is Cyber/ Online Harassment. In fact there are many kinds of online harassment out there, from the annoying (rude comments made by online trolls) to the invasive (doxing) to the traumatic (cyberstalking, threats of violence, and everything in- between). So we can say that there are several more or less important categories of cyber harassment and the reaction of the victim will vary depending on that. It should also be noted that everyone reacts differently, this will depend in particular on age, family status, emotional state or simply the sensitivity of the victim.

For exemple the cyberstalking who is the prolonged use (a “course of conduct”) of online harassment intended “to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate” a target, will often generate very strong reactions. The reaction of the victim is often a strong depression which can go as far as suicide and this new form of harassment mainly affects young people. Unfortunately we no longer count the number of teenagers who committed suicide following cyberbullying or cyberstalking. Cyber bullying can start at 8 or 9 years of age, but the majority of cases occur during adolescence, up to the age of 17. It is precisely because it affects young people, creating a personality, building themselves, that the damage is greater. Consequences can be anger, frustration, sadness, social and emotional imbalance. Young people may have diminished self-esteem or drug use impacting their social relationships and academic performance. Symptoms may be irreversible such as behavioral disturbances, depressive symptoms and anxiety their lifelong.

Unfortunately, over the past 5 years, cases of cyber harassment have multiplied, unlike the classic intimidation technique, which have decreased. According to a survey Cyberbullying affects around 12.5% of young people aged 6 to 18. And he says that 54% of teens say they have been teased online and 42% have already been harassed morally.

So yes, cyber harassment increases and despite being virtual, has an impact on real life. Perhaps it is precisely because it is a line and above all covered with anonymity that the phenomenon spreads. Indeed one can wonder if people react in the same way on a computer as in real life. Our way of behaving changes and allows us to cross certain limits. Indeed a study carried out in 2015 have show that 82% of people think that anonymity on the Internet promotes the expression of hate speech and 50% think that it represents a danger to society. So it would be because our judgment is compromised that online harassment increases. Online we feel safe and above all, we do not see the person we are talking to. The Internet is completely changing the way we communicate and also has an impact on our behavior. People, and specifically young people, cannot take enough step back from their actions and their words. So that would explain why the young people are the most affected.

Cyber harassment is serious but it is spreading, but nothing is lost ! In order to improve the situation it is necessary to sensitize the population whether it be the young or the old. As parents you have to make your child aware of this type of danger and limit his use of the internet and social networks. They have not yet had the necessary perspective to use it. More importantly, parents must be in contact with and support their children. Those being the most affected are generally the most isolated