Cyberbullying (cyberbullying, cyberstalking)

Main article: Internet security

2024: The bill on the prevention of bullying will be submitted to the State Duma by the end of the year

The bill on the prevention of bullying is under approval by the federal authorities, it will be submitted to the State Duma by the end of 2024. This was announced on September 20, 2024 by the press service of the State Duma deputy RFAnton Nemkin.

According to the chairman of the Duma committee on youth policy Artem Metelev, the bill will introduce the very concept of bullying. It is proposed to oblige schools to send information about bullying cases to the police and to the commission on juvenile affairs. Liability measures will be introduced against the organizers of the persecution, and they will also be assigned a correction course, which they will have to take with their parents.

The bill also proposes to oblige social networks to identify relevant content and block it, as well as block the pages of the organizers of systematic bullying.

In Russia, the problem of cyberbullying continues to gain relevance. According to research, in 2023, up to 55% of adolescents encountered cyberbullying, which is an alarming indicator, said Anton Nemkin, a member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications.

With the growth of activity of users of social networks and instant messengers, the number of cases of cyberbullying is increasing. Over the past five years, many Russians have noted an increase in the number of offensive posts and comments on the Internet. 42% of users believe that aggression on the network has become more noticeable. In 2023, about 7,000 high-profile cases of cyberbullying were reported, many of which attracted widespread public attention. However, despite the increase in cases of bullying, awareness of methods of combating cyberbullying is also increasing, which helps victims to more effectively defend themselves on the Internet. noted deputy

Studies show that among adolescents, bullying occurs most often in school years - from 11 to 14 years old, and this is a very vulnerable age. The danger of cyberbullying lies, first of all, in its constant availability: unlike traditional bullying, a victim cannot go home and move away from it, because the Internet is always available. Messages, comments or publications containing negative statements can appear at any time, which creates a feeling of constant threat and pressure in a person.

{{quote 'author
= added Nemkin' And the auxiliary tool of those involved in online bullying is again anonymity. People can easily hide behind pseudonyms, avoiding responsibility for their actions. This creates an illusion permissiveness and strikers can feel confident knowing they are hard to spot. Also, a large number of users can be involved in the process, spreading malicious information about the victim, which makes the situation even larger and more traumatic. The emotional consequences for the victim can be extremely severe. Adolescents who are at the stage of personality formation and self-identification are especially vulnerable. For them, bullying in any form can be a serious obstacle in the development of social skills.}}

The fight against bullying and cyberbullying requires an integrated approach, which includes both individual and public measures, the parliamentarian is sure.

{{quote 'author
= concluded Nemkin' Teaching children, adolescents and adults the rules of safe behavior on the Internet and understanding what bullying is helps prevent many cases of aggression. It is important to understand that bullying is not just "jokes," but a serious problem that can have long-term consequences for the victim. Schools and community organizations can conduct trainings and conversations about the importance of respectful communication both in real life and online. Of course, legal support plays an important role, so this bill is sure to play an important role. Only a set of measures will help to more effectively combat the problem of bullying and create a safe space both on the Internet and outside it.}}

2023: China criminalizes online bullying

Chinese judicial and law enforcement agencies have developed a draft regulatory act aimed at combating cyberbullying and proposed criminalizing some types of online bullying. This became known on June 13, 2023.

The draft states that Internet harassment is acts related to slander, insults, violation of personal life and damage to the reputation of citizens that cause serious harm to society. Victims of cyberbullying suffer from mental problems, and some of them drive themselves to suicide.

At the same time, it is often difficult for victims of online bullying to determine who is behind the attacks on the Internet, and to collect the necessary evidence to appeal to law enforcement agencies. The draft calls on the courts, prosecutors and state security agencies to fully understand the degree of danger of cyberbullying to society and provide proper support to the victims.

The draft also lists a number of violations that can be qualified as online bullying. This, for example, the creation and spread of slander against citizens or to damage someone's reputation, which "led to serious consequences." For such acts, the authors of the project propose to prosecute attackers in accordance with the Criminal Code of the PRC. Courts should also harshly punish those who harass children and people with disabilities, as well as create deepfakes on sexual topics^[1].

2020

The authorities intend to protect Russians from persecution in social networks

At the beginning of the autumn session of 2020, a bill may be submitted to the State Duma that will allow law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to protect Russian citizens from persecution on social networks. This was reported in August 2020 by the Parliamentary Newspaper.

According to the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Sergei Boyarsky, cyberstalking (the persecution of people on social networks) is one of the most pressing issues related to Internet communication. Attackers send messages to users in which they threaten to kill or cause any other harm to life or health, and often such electronic threats pose a real danger.

"According to the current article 119 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the threat of murder or harm to health is punished only if there was reason to fear the implementation of this threat. And how can you prove that the one who threatened is really going to cause harm? Therefore, those who apply, law enforcement officers answer something like "when they kill - then come." As a result, people were physically harmed and killed. There are a lot of such cases, "Boyarsky explained.

This bill was also supported by Yevgeny Revenko, a member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications. According to Revenko, bullying in social networks and "Lynch courts" on the Internet is a disgusting and unacceptable phenomenon.

"It is necessary to put certain barriers to protect people from any form of persecution," Revenko said.

How to protect children from cyberbullying

Cyberbullying (cyberbullying, cyberstalking) is a type of threat that society has faced in connection with the development of digital technologies. Potentially, every user of the Internet can become his victim, but children are especially vulnerable in this regard. How to reduce the risk of cyber threats and protect the child? This became known on June 5, 2020.

A person in the real world is constantly faced with violence in various manifestations. As a rule, over time, it develops protective mechanisms that allow you to cope with this. For example, avoids dubious companies, attracts law enforcement agencies. A child under peer attack can seek help from adults who will take the necessary steps to protect them. With cyberbullying, the situation is radically different:

• there is no direct physical contact, often the offender and the victim may not know each other - a person does not even feel safe at home;
• incriminating, offensive or aggressive messages and videos are stored for longer, they are almost impossible to completely remove from the Web;
• the virtual audience that personal information can become known to is much wider than real information, and it is extremely difficult to control it.
• The high speed of dissemination of information on the Internet, plus the lack of real leverage for this process, make it possible to imagine the problem of what scale a child is experiencing cyberstalking.

Bullying is most pronounced among high school and middle school students. Many relationships of adolescents are realized only in the digital space, which leads to a shift in emphasis: the events of the online world become priority over real life. In addition, parents and teachers often have no idea about the child's virtual activities, so they cannot take the necessary measures in time to protect them.

Often the initiators and performers of cyberstalking are children from disadvantaged families. It is difficult for them to build full-fledged relationships in reality, they splash out their aggression by any available methods. The main reason for their destructive behavior is low self-esteem, a desperate desire to assert themselves at the expense of others. In this regard, one of the most important steps to prevent cyberbullying by teachers and parents is to be attentive to children and take action in a timely manner when alarming signals appear.

In the long term, the surest solution in ensuring the safety of the child is to build a trusting relationship with him. Teaching a child to predict the results of his actions is important, but it is equally important that at a difficult moment he understands that he can seek help from a loved one. That is why the role of parents and teachers in the issue of children's cybersecurity is huge. They have a difficult task - to teach the right behavior in virtual space, to equip them with the necessary knowledge and strategies for behavior in the event of a threat. Here are some steps to help prevent cyberstalking.

Respect the value of virtual life for a teenager.

It is dangerous to underestimate how much the Internet plays a big role for a child. Communication in chats, social networks and instant messengers for him is equivalent to a real meeting with friends. Therefore, if adults severely restrict access to these resources, most likely, the child will try to do it secretly. And in a difficult situation, he will not seek help from parents who "warned," but from virtual friends. Therefore, it is necessary to build a reasonable compromise between entertainment and constructive activities. Striking a balance between rigor and care is the real art of the parent. And he can be trained.

Teach your child security measures on the Internet.

What seems obvious (not posting compromising photos and personal information, not giving strangers your passwords and codes, etc.) may be new and incomprehensible for children. Therefore, it is very important to explain what vulnerabilities network communication has and teach them to avoid.

Set the rules.

Uncontrolled access to the Network gives a feeling of permissiveness. It is noticed that teenagers behave on the Internet much more restrained when they know that their parents can see their messages. It is useful to establish parental control and regularly talk with the child about the rules of behavior on the Internet. Talk about his virtual friends, hobbies and online activities. And be sure to explain the reason for this. In real life, you always wonder where and with whom he spends his free time. It is logical that you want to be sure of its safety in the digital space.

Teach children online etiquette.

Online behavior should be as polite and discreet as it is beyond. We do not insult the first people we meet on the street, do not engage in frank conversations with strangers - the same principles should work on the Internet.

No one can be guaranteed to insure against bullying. If you become aware of this, you can do the following:

• report the violator of the administration of the resource on which this happens;
• save all letters, screenshots, messages that confirm the fact of intimidation;
• if you know the offender personally, contact a school where teachers can take action;
• if your child is a passive cyberbullying viewer, explain that behavior like this only encourages the aggressor, and be sure to take action that could stop it.

Do not forget that the Internet is primarily a valuable source of knowledge and useful information. One of the most important tasks of teachers and parents is to teach the child "digital hygiene," the ability to independently weed out potentially dangerous resources and take care of their own safety^[2].

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