Cyberbullying Perpetration: Children and Youth at Risk of Victimization during Covid-19 Lockdown

Authors

  • Simangele Mkhize University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, South Africa
  • Nirmala Gopal University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2021.10.61

Keywords:

Children, Youth, Covid-19, Cyberbullying, Social media

Abstract

The Covid-19 is believed to have emerged in Wuhan, China, and has affected many countries across the globe. In response to this pandemic, governments in different countries have implemented social distancing measures to stop the spread of the virus. The closure of schools and switch to remote learning of universities to protect youth and children from exposure to the virus might also open opportunities for certain crimes such as cyberbullying. The study aimed at exploring the risks of victimization of children and youth through cyberbullying during the lockdown. A qualitative approach, non-participant observation was utilised. Data was collected from three social media platforms which include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram from posts since the beginning of lockdown. Keywords such as “ama2000s”, “2000s” and “90s vs 2000s” were used to search for content. Facebook groups for “2000s” where most young people engage were also used. The study found that with the increase of the use of social media among children and youth during the lockdown, most have been victims of cyberbullying. In these platforms where young people engage, most posts and comments carried content which includes sexting, sexual comments on young girls’ pictures, trending of videos of school children fighting, and insulting each other. A significant finding was the use of fake accounts to perpetrate cyberbullying. The study recommends that addressing cyberbullying through educating children and youth about acceptable online behaviour, signs of cyberbullying, responses to it, and cybersecurity should be prioritised.

References

Bandura, Albert. 1971. Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Beger, Gerrit and Sinha, Akshay. 2012. “South African Mobile Generation”. Study on South African Young People on Mobiles. South Africa, UNICEF.

Belsey, Bill. 2004. The World’s First Definition of “Cyberbullying”. Cyberbullying.ca. Available at: http://www.cyberbullying.ca/ (Accessed on: 26 July 2020).

Biz Community. 2020. Can SA handle the increased internet traffic? Internet News South Africa, 20 April. Available at: https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/544/202971.html (Accessed on: 20 August 2020).

BullyingUK. N.d. We build better family lives together. Family Lives. Available at: https://www.bullying.co.uk/cyberbullying/what-is-cyberbullying/ (Accessed on: 13 August 2020).

Burton, Patrick and Mutongwizo, Tariro. 2009. “Inescapable violence: Cyber bullying and electronic violence against young people in South Africa.” Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention 8: 1-12.

Business Tech Staff Writer. 2019. South Africans spend over 8 hours a day online – and a third of that time is spent on social media. Business Tech, 01 February. Available at: https://businesstech.co.za/news/internet/296716/south-africans-spend-over-8-hours-a-day-online-and-a-third-of-that-time-is-spent-on-social-media/ (Accessed on: 20 August 2020).

Business Tech Staff Writer. 2020. Cabinet to make final decision on closing of all schools in South Africa. Business Tech, 22 July. Available at: https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/ 418641/cabinet-to-make-final-decision-on-closing-of-all-schools-in-south-africa/ (Accessed on 19 August 2020).

Children’s Act 2005 (Act 38 of 2005). Retrieved August 04, 2020 (https://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/acts/2005-038%20childrensact.pdf)

Chinazzi, Matteo. Davis Jessica T. Ajelli, Marco. Gioannini, Corrado. Litvinova, Maria. et al. 2020. The effect of travel restrictions on the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. 368 (6489) 395-400. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba9757 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba9757

CNBC Africa. 2020. Breaking: Nationwide lockdown announced in South Africa. 23 March. Available at: https://www.cnbcafrica. com/news/2020/03/23/breaking-nationwide-lockdown-announced-in-south-africa/ (Accessed on: 08 August 2020).

Cohut, Mariah. 2020. COVID-19 global impact: How the coronavirus is affecting the world. Medical News Today, 24 April 2020. Available at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ covid-19-global-impact-how-the-coronavirus-is-affecting-the-world (Accessed 26 July 2020).

Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 Act 108 of 1996. Retrieved August 04, 2020. (https://www.gov.za/sites/default/ files/gcis_document/201409/act108of1996s.pdf)

Covid-19 2020a. COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal. Online Resource and News Portal, Health Department Republic of South Africa. Available at: https://sacoronavirus. co.za/ (Accessed on: 08 August 2020).

Covid-19 2020b. About COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Online Resource and News Portal, Health Department Republic of South Africa. Available at: https://sacoronavirus.co.za/information-about-the-virus-2/ (Accessed on: 08 August 2020).

Da Costa, Wendy J. 2019. Disturbing cyber-bullying statistics ranks SA tops. IOL, 25 February. Available at: https://www.iol.co. za/dailynews/news/kwazulu-natal/disturbing-cyber-bullying-statistics-ranks-sa-tops-19493296 (Accessed on: 14 August 2020).

Dippenaar, Simon. 2019. Cyberbullying – It’s time to fight back. Attorneys, Notaries and Conveyancers, 12 June. Available at: https://www.sdlaw.co.za/cyberbullying-its-time-to-fight-back/ (Accessed on: 14 August 2020).

Dippenaar, Simon. 2020. Sharp increase in UK child sexual abuse during pandemic. Attorneys, Notaries and Conveyancers, 08 July. Available at: https://www.sdlaw.co.za/sharp-increase-in-online-predators-during-pandemic/ (Accessed on: 16 August 2020).

Farhangpour, Parvaneh. Maluleke, Cynthia. and Mutshaeni, Humbulani N. 2017. “Emotional and academic effects of cyberbullying on students in a rural high school in the Limpopo province”, South Africa. South African Journal of Information Management,21,(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajim.v21i1.925 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajim.v21i1.925

Fourie, Louise. 2020. Tech News: The facts about social media in South Africa. IOL, 19 June. Available at: https://www.iol.co. za/business-report/tech-news-the-facts-about-social-media-in-south-africa-49553672 (Accessed on: 19 August 2020)

Fourways Review. 2018. Cyberbullying and its dangers are lessons learnt at Diepsloot Combined School. 04 October. Available at: https://fourwaysreview.co.za/290222/cyberbullying-lessons-are-learnt/ (Accessed on: 03 August 2020).

Gordon, Sherri. 2016. What are the effects of cyber bullying? Very Well Family. Available at: http://www.verywell.com/waht-are-the-effects-of-cyberbullying-460558 (Accessed on: 26 July 2020).

Govender, Irene and Skea, Brian. 2015. Teachers’ Understanding Of E-Safety: An Exploratory Case in KZN South Africa. EJISDC, 70(5):1-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2015.tb00505.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2015.tb00505.x

Hinduja, Sameer and Patchin, Justin W. 2010. “Bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide.,” Archives of suicide research. Official journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research, 14(3): 206-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2010.494133 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2010.494133

IOL Staff Reporter. 2020. This is how SA varsities are implementing online teaching amid Covid-19 lockdown. IOL, 12 April. Available at: https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/this-is-how-sa-varsities-are-implementing-online-teaching-amid-covid-19-lockdown-46930129 (Accessed on: 19 August 2020).

Johnston, Melissa.P. 2014. “Secondary Data Analysis: A Method of which the Time Has Come.” Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries (QQML), 3:619-626.

Kahla, Cheryl. 2020. Internet in South Africa and the significant increase in online traffic. The South African, 15 April. Available at: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/technology/ internet-south-africa-increase-online-traffic-video-chat-remote-work/ (Accessed on: 18 August 2020).

Kowalski, Robin M. Giumetti, Gary W. Schroeder, Amber N. and Lattanner, Micah R. 2014. “Bullying in the Digital Age: A Critical Review and Meta-Analysis of Cyberbullying Research Among Youth.” American Social Association, 140(4): 1073–1137. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035618 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035618

Kowalski, Robin M. Limber, Susan P. and Agatston, Patricia W. 2012. Cyberbullying: Bullying in the Digital Age. Wiley- Blackwell.

Lama. 2020. Social media statistics and usage in South Africa. Blog. Available at: https://www.talkwalker.com/blog/social-media-stats-south-africa#general%20stats (Accessed on: 18 August 2020).

Livingstone, Sonia. Kirwil, Lucyna. Ponte, Cristina. and Staksrud, Elisabeth. with EU Kids Online Network. 2013. “In their own words: what bothers children online? with the EU Kids Online Network.” LSE London: EU Kids On-Line. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323114521045 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323114521045

Macaulay, Peter. 2020. We don’t know the true extent of cyberbullying – and children need help in dealing with it. The Conversation, 24 February. Available at: https://theconversation.com/we-dont-know-the-true-extent-of-cyberbullying-and-children-need-help-in-dealing-with-it-131614 (Accessed on: 22 August 2020).

Matangira, Lungelo. 2018. Nearly 60% of South Africans Now Have Access to The Internet. Eyewitness News, 02 February. Available at: https://ewn.co.za/2018/02/05/nearly-60-of-south-africans-now-have-access-to-the-internet (Accessed on: 05 September 2020).

Menesini, Ersilia. 2012. “Cyberbullying: The right value of the phenomenon. Comments on the paper ‘Cyberbullying: An overrated phenomenon?’”. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(5), 544-552. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2012.706449 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2012.706449

Mhlanga, David and Moloi, Tankiso. 2020. “COVID-19 and the Digital Transformation of Education: What Are We Learning on 4IR in South Africa?” Education Science. 10(180):1-11. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10070180 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10070180

Millar, Abra. 2018. What is Cyber Bullying? – Digital Safeguarding. Ann Craft Trust, 06 September. Available at: https://www.anncrafttrust.org/what-is-cyber-bullying/ (Accessed on 05 September 2020)

Mkhize, Simangele. Nunlall. Reema. and Gopal, Nirmala. 2020. “An examination of social media as a platform for cyber-violence against the LGBT+ population.” Agenda. https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2019.1704485 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2019.1704485

MNT News Team. 2020. COVID-19 live updates: Total number of cases passes 20.2 million. Medical News Today, 12 August. Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/live-updates-coronavirus-covid-19#1 (Accessed on: 12 August 2020).

Moyo, Admire. 2020. SA’s telcos expect data usage boom as remote working becomes norm. Business Continuity Management. 19 March, Available at: https://www.itweb.co.za/content/ rxP3jqBmK5OMA2ye (Accessed 27 July 2020).

Naik, Sameer. 2020. Covid-19 in SA: Online learning cybercrime warning. IOL, 09 May 2020. Available at: https://www.iol.co. za/saturday-star/news/covid-19-in-sa-online-learning-cybercrime-warning-47758259 (Accessed on: 14 August 2020).

Newey, Katrina A. 2016. “Bullying Embraces the Virtual World: Elucidating The Psychosocial Determinants And Correlates Of Traditional Vs. Cyberbullying Types.” PhD Thesis, Department of Psychology. Western Sydney University.

Nikolaou, Dimitrios. 2017. “Does cyberbullying impact youth suicidal behaviors.” Journal of Health Economics 56: 30-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.09.009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.09.009

Ntsabo, M. 2019. SA Has One of The Highest Prevalence of Cyberbullying. Eyewitness News. Available at: https://ewn.co.za/2019/02/25/sa-has-one-of-the-highest-prevalence-of-cyberbullying (Accessed on: 14 August 2020).

Olofinbiyi, Sogo A. and Singh, Shanta B. 2020. “The Role and Place of Covid-19: An Opportunistic Avenue for Exponential World’s Upsurge in Cyber Crime.” International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 9: 221-230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2020.09.20

Olweus, Dan. 2012. “Cyberbullying: An overrated phenomenon?” European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(5): 520-538. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2012.682358 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2012.682358

Parent24. 2019. Anti-bullying week - South Africa ranks high in global survey on cyberbullying. 13 November. Available at: https://www.parent24.com/Learn/Learning-difficulties/anti-bullying-week-south-africa-ranks-high-in-global-survey-on-cyberbullying-20191111 (Accessed on: 16 August 2020).

Parents Articles, Teachers Articles, Teenagers Articles. 2016. 5 Differences between Cyber Bullying and Traditional Bullying. ICDL Arab. Available at: https://onlinesense.org/5-differences-cyber-bullying-traditional-bullying/ (Accessed on: 21 August 2020).

Payi, Bulelwa. 2018. Study: SA has high cyberbullying rate. IOL, 08 July. Available at: https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/ study-sa-has-high-cyberbullying-rate-15898676 (Accessed on: 22 August 2020).

Peterson, Jillian. and Densley, James. 2017. “Cyber violence: What do we know and where do we go from here?” Aggression and Violent Behavior 34:193–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2017.01.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2017.01.012

Popovac, Masa and Fine, Philip. 2016. “Cyberbullying, online risks and parental mediation: A comparison between adolescent reports and parent perceptions in the United Kingdom and South Africa.” The University of Buckingham.

SabinetLaw. 2017. Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity. Available at: https://legal.sabinet.co.za/?s=Cybercrimes%20And%20Cybersecurity (Accessed on: 22 August 2020).

Sansa, Nuhu A. 2020. “Analysis of the Impact of the Covid-19 to the Petrol Prices in China.” Available at SSRN 3547413 https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3547413 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3547413

Savides, Matthew. 2020. Children 'suffered' under Covid-19 lockdown: Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu. Times Live, 01 June. Available at: https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2020-06-01-children-suffered-under-covid-19-lockdown-hendrietta-bogopane-zulu/ (Accessed on: 15 June 2020).

Skiba, Diane J. 2014. “The connected age: Mobile apps and consumer engagement”, Nursing Education Perspectives, 35(3): 199–201. https://doi.org/10.5480/1536-5026-35.3.199 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5480/1536-5026-35.3.199

South African Police Services. N.d. Child Safety: Cyberbullying. Available at: https://www.saps.gov.za/child_safety/teens/ teens.php (Accessed on: 24 August 2020).

South African Society of Cardiovascular Intervention. 2020. COVID-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal. Available at: http://www.sasci.co.za/content/page/covid-19-corona-virus-south-african-resource-portal (Accessed on: 12 August 2020)

Talasila, Meenu. 2020. Cyberbullying in the shadows of online learning during COVID-19: how to support and ensure online safety of students. The Education and Development Forum. Available at: https://www.ukfiet.org/2020/cyberbullying-in-the-shadows-of-online-learning-during-covid-19-how-to-support-and-ensure-online-safety-of-students/ (Accessed on: 12 July 2020).

The South African College of Applied Psychology. 2018. What young adults need to know about cyberbullying in South Africa. Available at https://www.sacap.edu.za/blog/management-leadership/cyberbullying/ (Accessed on: 14 August 2020)

University of Tokyo. 2020. Responses to cyberbullying: Bullied victims' experiences differ by their ability to handle their own emotions. Science Daily. Available at: www.sciencedaily. com/releases/2020/06/200629120145.htm (Accessed on: 12 August).

Vandebosch, Heidi and Van Cleemput, Katrien. 2018. “Defining Cyberbullying: A Qualitative Research into the Perceptions of Youngsters.” Cyber Psychologyand Behavior, 11(4): 499-503. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2007.0042 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2007.0042

Wordometer. 2020. COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. Available at: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ (Accessed on: 14 August 2020).

World Health Organisation. 2020. Q & A on coronaviruses (COVID-19). Available at: https://www.who.int/emergencies/ diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses (Accessed on: 26 July 2020)

Zhong, Bao-Liang. Luo, Wei. Li, Hai-Mei. Zhang, Qian-Qian. Liu, Xiao-Ge. Li, Wen-Tian . and Li Yi. 2020. “Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 among Chinese residents during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 outbreak: a quick online cross-sectional survey.” International Journal of Biological Science, 16(10):1745-52. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijbs.45221 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7150/ijbs.45221

Zwane, Hamilton. 2020. #YouthMonth: Where is social media headed among SA youth? BizCommunity, 17 June. Available at: https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/758/205164. html (Accessed on: 21 August 2020).

Downloads

Published

2021-02-22

How to Cite

Mkhize, S. ., & Gopal, N. . (2021). Cyberbullying Perpetration: Children and Youth at Risk of Victimization during Covid-19 Lockdown . International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 10, 525–537. https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2021.10.61

Issue

Section

Articles