Online self-harm, a new format of cyberbullying on the rise
Internet has improved the lives of people in their day to day. However, with the expansion of social networks and the online world have also appeared other problems that deserve the attention of society. Among all these matters, cyberbullying It is one of the most worrying causes. The anonymity and the difficult detection of these cases make it very difficult to fight against it.
To this day, it is very difficult to know how this problem is going to evolve and what paths it can take. An example is the alert that is echoed by the Research Center on the Cyber bullying from the Atlantic University of Florida. This entity points out that in recent times it has been seen how more and more young people resort to self-harm online, that is, to be themselves the perpetrators of their harassment.
Need for attention and low self-esteem
To check the situation of online self-harm, the team of this center decided to carry out a study in which they participated near 5,600 students. All of them were surveyed about their situation in relation to cyberbullying, and among all the questions that made up the questionnaire one of them was interested in whether they had ever done these practices themselves.
The experts defined online self-harm as any publication on social networks, the sending of content, or any other way of sharing harmful material about oneself through the network. The results confirmed that almost 350 participants They had posted something nasty about themselves on the internet. Of all of them, a third acknowledged that they had done it more than once and 13% revealed that it was their usual practice.
Among the most common causes, experts found that those who practiced self-harm online sought draw attention. Seeing that the rest make fun of themselves, they seek acceptance through false profiles with which they feel accepted by their peers. Low self-esteem is also one of the reasons that give rise to this practice.
Young people who acknowledged having practiced self-harm online expressed a hatred towards themselves that they represented through these attitudes in the network. In another sector were those who wanted to attract attention by posing as victims and pretending that grief opened the doors to new friendships. The common point of all of them was the same: the lack of self-esteem.
How to detect self-harm online
Social networks and the internet may seem like a world unknown to most parents. The new generations they handle these digital environments better than the past and it is difficult to keep track of them. Therefore, we must stay alert to prevent any problem of this style. Here are some tips to get it:
1. If you have a profile on social networks, parents should "add" their child to monitor their activity on these platforms.
2.Participation with the teaching staff. Teachers are those who see their children interacting with their classmates; working side by side with them will favor the detection of possible harassment attempts that could lead to digital self-harm.
3. Keep in mind possible cases of cyberbullying. The digital self-injury can also appear participating in a case of online bullying caused by another person, so these possible situations must be addressed to prevent them.
4. Work on the child's self-esteem. As has been said, children who practice self-harm online showed low self-esteem, working on their own assessment of children will help them to have a better conception of themselves and not fall into these errors.
5. Teach the value of friendship. A friend is not the one who makes fun of us, this lesson must be learned by the little ones.
Damián Montero
