Online bullying rife in South Africa

A recent survey revealed that 51.5 per cent of children have been cyberbullied in South Africa.

“This is due to connected societies, with more and more people being online, especially the youth,” said Simon Campbell-Young, co-founder and VP global sales at Digimune. “There is clearly a lack of good cyber education and defensive tools.”

He said education is key to raising awareness.

“The vast majority of children have access to a wide variety of online devices, either shared or on their device, from a young age. “By the age of 10, 30.5 per cent of children have a smartphone and 41.5 per cent have access to a shared smartphone. “It is thus imperative to take time to talk about the internet, the good and the bad. Good cyber education and defensive tools can help protect you and your family. “It’s important to know about them and to think about these tools as an option.”

Campbell-Young said it is imperative to limit the time spent on the internet. “Cyberbullying has increased in SA during lockdown as more and more family members spend longer periods online. “Parents are also allowing their children to spend more time online, which has been an overspill from the last 12 months, in terms of online education.” He cautioned against information shared online.

ALSO READ: Don’t let C-19 derail TB testing and treatment

“Several cases have occurred locally and abroad where children have had indecent imagery of themselves uploaded onto social media platforms. “Online group chats, abusing another pupil or individual and the recent case at bishops, regarding rape, is a prime example. “Sharing less information online, being aware of the signs, managing your digital footprint, utilising a monitoring tool and takedown service can help protect children from becoming victims of cyberbullying.”

Campbell-Young urged that parents must monitor their children’s devices. “A lot of parents feel overwhelmed within cyberspace and it is normal. Parents need to be able to monitor devices and content as well as have an advanced threat notification solution to help them in this omnipresent risk.”
Digimune, the digital identity, privacy and social media protection company, surveyed 200 South African parents in February 2021 to gauge their views and concerns around children and digital threats.

The results revealed that children in the respondents’ communities have been a victim of the following cyber threats:

• 35 per cent of children have been a victim of cyberstalking.
• 36.5 per cent of children have fallen victim to online shaming.
• 43.5 per cent of children willingly share their personal information on online platforms.
• 54 per cent of children have accessed inappropriate content via digital platforms.
• 51.5 per cent of children have been cyberbullied.

“More than one out of every two children in the respondents’ communities have been victims of cyberbullying, or have accessed adult or otherwise inappropriate content online,” said Campbell-Young. “Further, more than two out of five children have shared personal information online, and more than three out of 10 have been cyberstalked or been a victim of online shaming or revenge porn. “It is likely that this data is an under-representation, due to a combination of children’s reluctance to tell their parents about an attack and the sophistication of cybercrime today. “Far from ad hoc, brute force attacks using rudimentary technology and techniques, cybercriminals harness the latest tech, bide their time and are strategic about their activities. “The theft of personal information or hacking into social media platforms is a good example of this. Criminals go on to sell this information on the dark web. “It is in their interest for you, or your child, to be oblivious to the theft of information or the hack.”

Further results from the survey showed the top five digital concerns parents have:

• Shaming/revenge porn
• Cyberbullying
• Accessing adult or otherwise inappropriate content
• Grooming
• Identity theft

Also follow us on: