In 1997, 18 percent of households had internet access. In 2017, 92 percent of teenagers from around the world, according to Child Trends, access the internet daily. Any young person turning 13 this year has never lived in world without Facebook. In 2014-2015, three-quarters of youth could access their smartphones to use the internet anytime, anywhere.
Social media provides opportunities that help build communities, engage with others, and gain exposure to new ideas from around the world. But it also provides a dark side, it provides an opportunity for bullying. Around one-third of young people between the ages of 12-17 (31 percent of males, 36 percent of females) report experiencing cyberbullying at some point of their lifetime. Cyberbullying does not require the bully and the bullied to be in the same place at the same time and can occur more anonymously.
Bullying affects a young person’s social, emotional and psychological development.
While schools play a role in dealing with bullying and cyberbullying so do parents, and the rest of society.