With the
advancement in technology and the availability of the
Internet infrastructure in Singapore, social networking has become
accessible to almost everyone. Social media serve as platforms for virtual
networking. However, they are increasingly used by teenagers to express their
discontentment about other teens. A worrying trend has prevailed, such that
more teenagers are involved in cyberbullying. Research has shown that Singapore
recorded the second highest cases of cyberbullying among teenagers worldwide
(Singapore is the Second Highest Nation of Cyberbullies, n.d.). Cyberbullying
is detrimental as it causes psychological and emotional pressure on
the victims. In some occasions, cyberbullying poses threat to the physical
well-being of the victims such that they resort to committing suicide as a way
out of the bullying. To counter this problem, various corrective measures such
as the anti-harassment law and counselling programmes were implemented by
the Singapore government. Nevertheless, while these corrective measures are
crucial, preventive measures through education in school and at home remain the
most fundamental solution to suppressing cyber-bullying among teenagers in
Singapore.
Cyberbullying in
Singapore is not a recent phenomena. With a better access to the Internet and
an advancement in handheld gadgets, teenagers are spending more time on social
media. They use social media as a platform to communicate with their friends
and also to share their personal life experiences. However, social media is
increasingly used by the teenagers to carry out personal attack. This worrying
trend has captured the government’s attention, which led to a series of measures
to counter cyberbullying.
Various corrective
measures to alleviate the problem of cyberbullying have been introduced by the
Singapore government. Corrective measures focus on rehabilitating the victims
and offenders of cyberbullying incidents. The anti-harassment law, passed in
March 2014 by the parliament, aims at countering cyberbullying. It emphasises the
importance of protecting possible victims against harassment by outlining
proper cyberspace conduct and punishments for those who break the law (Neo,
2014). This law allows the authority to exercise jurisdiction against offenders
through corrective measures such as fines and jail sentences, depending on the
severity of the case. On top of that, the government also works closely with
social support groups to rehabilitate cyberbully offenders. The
rehabilitation efforts include counselling and medical treatments for repeated
offenders who are believed to have underlying mental problems. In schools,
social workers and counsellors are on standby to provide their help to victims
and the offenders who are involved in cyberbullying.
However, such
corrective measures only provide a short-term solution to the problem. It does
not necessarily prevent cyberbullying from reoccurring. This is because
research has shown that the reason why these teenagers engage in cyberbullying
is because they were either victims themselves or have seen someone close to
them being bullied through cyberspace (Delete Cyberbullying - Why Do People
Cyberbully, n.d.). Furthermore, some offenders mention that cyberbullying
allows them to project their power and superiority over their victims. They
derive pleasure from the sufferings of their victims. To make matters worse,
offenders often remain anonymous. This obscures the effectiveness of corrective
measures as discussed above since corrective measures ignore the motivational
factors that drive these teenagers to engage in cyberbullying.
Preventive measures
is therefore crucial to get to the baseline of this problem. This is because it
offers a mechanism to prohibit cyberbullying from happening. One of the most
fundamental aspects of preventive measures is education. Educating the social
media users, particularly the teenagers, about the cyberspace ethics and
restrictions would allow a friendly and safe cyberspace environment. The
government, together with the Singapore Children's society for instance, has
introduced bully-free campaigns to educate and nurture teenagers to be ethical
cyberspace users (Singapore Children's Society - Bully-Free Campaign, n.d.).
This campaign also seeks to create awareness of the worrying trend of
cyberbullying, and it calls for the involvement of the family and the community
to counter cyberbullying. In addition, the Ministry of Education (MOE)
introduced the Cyber Wellness programme in schools, where "students learn
to respect others by thinking through what they publish online so that they do
not hurt others" (Cyber Wellness Programme, 2009). Through these
campaigns, teenagers are often reminded of the dangers and consequences of
cyberbullying and thus, dissuade them from engaging in such activities.
Such efforts,
however, require constant reminders and commitments for it to be effective in
the long run. One can argue that education in school alone is insufficient. It
also requires education and regulation at home. Parents could play their part
by monitoring their children's cyberspace behaviour and also detect if their
children is a victim of cyberbullying, so that early help can be provided. For
the individuals, they should be committed to observe proper cyberspace ethics.
Individuals should not respond to any cyber-threats and get immediate help if
they find themselves falling in the cyberbullying trap.
In conclusion,
there is no solitary measures that could best counter cyberbullying.
Nonetheless, we can argue that preventive measures is more fundamental in
dealing with this problem. Preventive measures serve as a first-step in
suppressing cyberbullying. Every agents in the society have a pivotal role to
play. Countering cyberbullying is therefore a joint effort among the state, the
community, the family and the individual.
Cyber Wellness Programmes. (2009, September 14). Retrieved March from
http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/parliamentary-replies/2009/09/cyber-wellness-programmes.php
Delete Cyberbullying - Why Do People Cyberbully? (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.deletecyberbullying.org/why-do-people-cyberbully/
Neo, C. (2014, March 14). Anti-harassment laws to fight 'social
scourge.' Today Online. Retrieved from
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/anti-harassment-laws-fight-social-scourge
Singapore Children's Society - Bully-Free Campaign. (n.d.).
Retrieved from
http://www.bullyfreecampaign.sg/cyber_bullying/index_cyber.php
Family and Life. (n.d.). Singapore is the second highest nation of cyberbullies.
Retrieved from http://familyandlife.sg/Nurture/2014/03/Singapore_Second_Highest_Nation_Cyberbullies
