Cyberbullying awareness among young adults in Udaipur city

Introduction

The fast development of information and communication technology has altered how people communicate, interact, and trade information. The ubiquitous use of the internet, smartphones, and social media platforms has resulted in unparalleled opportunities for education, communication, entertainment, and networking. However, in addition to these benefits, digital technologies have generated new difficulties, with cyberbullying emerging as a serious public health and social concern (Anderson, 2018). Cyberbullying, unlike conventional bullying, can occur at any time and from any location using digital platforms, allowing offenders to remain anonymous and making it impossible for victims to avoid repeated abuse. Cyberbullying is defined as intentional and repetitive aggressive behaviour carried out via electronic communication with the objective to cause psychological, emotional, or social harm to another person (Smith et al., 2008). It occurs on a variety of digital channels, such as social networking sites, instant messaging apps, online gaming platforms, emails, and webpages. Cyberbullying can take many forms, including sending abusive messages, spreading rumours, creating phony profiles, cyberstalking, social exclusion, trolling, and disclosing private information without consent. These behaviours can have substantial consequences for an individual's mental health, self-esteem, social relationships, and overall well-being (Smith andSteffgen, 2013;Kowalski et al., 2014). Young adults are especially vulnerable to cyberbullying because they spend so much time on digital platforms for academic, professional, and social reasons. Continuous social media use raises both the likelihood of online interaction and the risk of cyberbullying. Previous research has shown that cyberbullying among young adults is linked to anxiety, sadness, loneliness, low self-esteem, poor academic achievement, and strained social interactions (Peled, 2019). According to the World Health Organization (2024), one in every six adolescents and young people has encountered cyberbullying, while UNICEF (2019) estimates that one in every three young people has been subjected to online bullying, showing the global scope of the issue. In India, the rapid growth of internet access and social media use has led to a significant increase in cybercrime and online harassment. According to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, millions of cybercrime complaints have been registered in recent years, indicating the increasing misuse of digital technologies (Ministry of Home Affairs, 2024). Although cyberbullying affects both men and women, research indicates that gender variations exist in victimization, coping mechanisms, and understanding of online safety. Females are more likely to undergo relational and emotional cyberbullying, whilst males are more likely to face direct forms of online aggression. Although various studies have investigated cyberbullying among adolescents and schoolchildren, few have focused on young adults, particularly in regional contexts like Udaipur City. The limited research has explored gender differences in awareness related to cyberbullying, online safety, and preventive measures. Understanding these differences is essential for developing effective awareness programmes and promoting safer online behaviour among young adults. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess awareness regarding cyberbullying among young adults and also to compare gender differences if any exist, with the aim of providing evidence that may support awareness initiatives and encourage a safer digital environment.

Methodology

This study used a descriptive research design to examine awareness regrading cyberbullying among young adults in Udaipur City, Rajasthan. A total of 150 young adults in the age range of 18 to 25 years included in the study, from five government coeducational colleges in Udaipur City using purposive sampling. An equal number of male and female participants were included to compare gender-based findings. Data was collected through Google form using a self-developed background information Performa and a Self-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed to assess participants' awareness regarding cyberbullying.

Sample Selection Flow Chart

The collected data were coded, tabulated, and analysed using frequency, percentages and rank distribution to describe the respondents' characteristics and compare male and female participants. Table 2 presents the respondents' perceptions regarding the factors contributing to cyberbullying, methods for empowering victims, and suggested preventive actions. Among the contributing factors, lack of awareness about the consequences secured the first rank, indicating that respondents considered it the most important factor contributing to cyberbullying. This was followed by anonymity of online platforms and poor digital citizenship education, which secured the second and third ranks, respectively. Regarding methods for empowering victims, educating individuals about online privacy and safety obtained the first rank, followed by promoting positive selfesteem and self-care and teaching assertiveness skills. With respect to preventive actions, programmes for education and awareness received the first rank, while more stringent laws and rules and enhanced social media platform reporting and moderation secured the second and third ranks, respectively. The results suggest that awareness, digital safety education, and better preventive measures were identified as key strategies to tackle cyberbullying. Table 3 presents gender-wise differences in respondents' awareness regarding cyberbullying. The findings indicate that an equal proportion of male and female respondents (41.33%) believed that college staff take cyberbullying seriously. Regarding the appropriate age for cyberbullying awareness, most males (41.33%) considered 16-18 years to be the ideal age, whereas the highest proportion of females (32%) preferred 10-12 years. Awareness of local organizations dealing with cyberbullying was slightly higher among females (50.67%) than males (41.33%). A majority of both male and female respondents (70.67% each) agreed that internet platforms have a responsibility to prevent cyberbullying. In terms of confidence about online privacy and safety, most males reported being very confident (45.33%), while a higher proportion of females were moderately confident (38.67%). Overall, both genders showed a satisfactory level of awareness regarding cyberbullying, with only minor differences in their responses. The ranking analysis presented in Table 4 further showed that both male and female respondents, lack of awareness about the consequences secured the first rank, indicating that it was perceived as the most important contributing factor to cyberbullying. However, there were differences in the following ranks. Among males, poor digital citizenship education and peer pressure or group dynamics secured the second and third ranks, whereas among females, anonymity of online platforms obtained the second rank and inadequate support for victims shared the third rank with lack of strict enforcement of laws. As for victim empowerment, educating people about online privacy and safety came in first place for both men and women. Promoting positive self-esteem and self-care was ranked second by male respondents and second by female respondents for teaching assertiveness skills. In terms of preventive actions, programmes for education and awareness received the first rank among males, whereas more stringent laws and rules secured the first rank among females. The results indicated that while both males and females identified awareness as a critical component in preventing cyberbullying, there were some differences in their perspectives regarding the importance of education, legal and support measures.

Results and Discussion

Conclusion

The present study concludes that young adults have a good level of awareness about cyberbullying. Male and female respondents agreed that online platforms are important in preventing cyberbullying. The female respondents gave a preference for introducing cyberbullying awareness at an earlier age than the male respondents, and the male respondents showed a little more confidence in their online privacy and security. Respondents from both groups identified lack of awareness about the consequences as the main factor contributing to cyberbullying. They also felt that education, awareness programmes on the internet and better cyber legislation were the most helpful ways of preventing cyberbullying. These findings suggest that increasing awareness and improving online safety education can help create a safer digital environment for young adults.

References

1. Anderson M. A majority of teens have experienced some form of cyberbullying [Internet]. Pew Research Center; 2018. Available from: https://www.pewresearch.org/?p = 93297
2. Kowalski RM, Giumetti GW, Schroeder AN, Lattanner MR. Bullying in the digital age: A critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychological Bulletin. 2014;140(4):1073-1137.
3. Ministry of Home Affairs. Annual report on cybercrimes and digital platform exploitation in India. New Delhi: Government of India; 2024.
4. Peled Y. Cyberbullying and its influence on academic, social, and emotional development of undergraduate students. Heliyon. 2019;5(3):e01393.
5. Smith PK, Mahdavi J, Carvalho M, Fisher S, Russell S, Tippett N. Cyberbullying: Its nature and impact in secondary school pupils. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. 2008;49(4):376385.
6. Smith PK, Steffgen G. Cyberbullying through the new media. London: Taylor & Francis; 2013. p. 25-26.
7. UNICEF. UNICEF poll: More than a third of young people in 30 countries report being a victim of online bullying [Internet]. New York: UNICEF; 2019 Sep 3. Available from: https://www.unicef.org/
8. World Health Organization. One in six school-aged children experiences cyberbullying, finds new WHO/Europe study [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024 Mar 27. Available from: https://www.who.int/