Digital bullying threatens the mental health of students

Triple and legal people have warned of the negative effects of digital bullying among school students, stressing that it threatens the mental health of adolescents and leaves profound effects on the victims, and leads to a deterioration of their academic and social performance, especially when it includes defamation, pictures and messages that are offensive to the targeted victims.

In this context, the Fujairah Center for Statistics revealed a statistic issued by the Community Welfare Department, which the Emirates Today viewed, showing that 12 boys from affiliated with the department are accused of information technology crimes during the past year.

In detail, educators and legal experts told «Emirates Today» that electronic differences between school students cause great psychological pressure on the targets, and may lead to a deterioration of their academic and social performance, amid great difficulty in proving abuses, especially with the aggressors resorting to hiding behind borrowed names, or deleting talks from applications such as “WhatsApp”, which makes it difficult for the victim to preserve his rights, And prove the damage to it.

While the guardian of a student in the seventh grade, citizenship (Umm Muhammad), recounted the story of her daughter, who was subjected to repeated harassment from her colleague via “WhatsApp” after returning from school, saying: “My daughter was receiving annoying messages from her friend, including repeated reproach and criticism, and when she decided to cut her relationship with her, the messages turned into threats and reasons, the student was omitted, My daughter kept other conversations as evidence. ”

She added, “The girl began accusing my daughter of being the one who initiated the abuse, although the first messages that prove the opposite were deleted, and the matter developed between them into a physical assault inside the school, which ended with the signing of a pledge not to repeat the matter, although the case started from a simple disagreement and trivial reasons.”

The guardian of a student in the ninth grade, citizenship (Umm Abdullah), said that her son was sarcasm through a group of students in his chapter on the application of “WhatsApp”, after a simple misunderstanding that occurred during one of the classes, and it was found that one of the students made sarcastic stickers (stickers) using her son’s pictures, and circulating them with his colleagues, which affected his psychological state, especially since his confidence in himself clearly retreated.

She added: “I contacted the school administration immediately, and our complaints met with a rapid response, as a behavioral committee opened an investigation into the incident, and a disciplinary action was taken against the student who caused.” He affirmed that the teachers contained her son and took his hand and encouraged him, and they made it clear to him that he did not lack anything, and that those who resort to digital bullying is the one who suffers a real shortage, noting that supporting the school played a great role Her son himself.

Dangerous quarrels

For her part, the principal of a government school, Aisha Al -Zyoudi, said: “The nature of the differences between students may seem simple or caused by trivial reasons, but she soon develops into an actual fight inside the school, or even to digital abuse through social media channels,” explaining: “By virtue of I have managed students’ affairs for more than 10 years, I notice that the differences between students no longer stop at the borders of the school, but extend to the world Virtual.

Al -Zyoudi emphasized that some students use e -learning platforms or smart gates during the classroom from a distance to insult some of their colleagues, or exceed more by making satirical or abusive content through the media, noting that electronic quarrels may be dangerous, as they are included in strict legal penalties, in addition to the intervention of parents sometimes in a biased manner, especially if there is a kinship between quarrel students.

Al -Zyoudi explained that schools depend on educational mechanisms to address conflicts, which are the formation of behavioral committees headed by the head of student affairs and specialized academic guides, and their role is not limited to academic support, but rather amending behavior and qualifying students, and supporting the quality of their lives inside and outside the school.

And it indicated that when observing any behavioral violation, the “behavioral regulation” is applied, so that it begins to educate the wrong student and advise him for the first time. In the event of repeated behavior, the list of behavior approved by the Ministry of Education, which ranges from the deduction from the degrees of behavior to the signature of a commitment, or even the disciplinary transfer of another school in repeated cases.

She pointed out that some violations may reach the fifth degree according to the updated behavior list for the past year, which was tightened to match the laws of the new state, and includes electronic bullying and quarrels that are evaluated by the administration, indicating that the student in this case may be subjected to the final semester, and the issue is raised to legal affairs in the ministry to take the decisive decision that may reach the transfer of his case to legal institutions, in which the female student may eventually reach the matter to the matter “Community Care of Events”.

She said: «The guardian sometimes underestimates the issue, or deals with bias with his children without consolidating their proper values, and some parents may be involved as well, through audio recordings or messages on (WhatsApp) groups, the problem will be exacerbated instead of solving them.

She emphasized that the school is an educational environment that deals with a different human nature, and disputes that may arise suddenly for simple reasons, but it is able – through legislation and educational measures – to re -evaluate behavior, and protect students from slipping to the vocals of verbal or psychological violence, whether inside the school or through virtual platforms.

Difference treatment

For her part, the educational advisor, Badria Al -Dhanhani, affirmed that addressing differences between students, whether inside the school or through the media, must start from planting values ​​from a young age, and training students to manage differences in a civilized manner, instead of escalating them through verbal or digital abuse.

She added: “Some students lack social skills to resolve conflicts, and resort to defamation through the means of communication in a way that offends them and others, which leads to long -term psychological damage,” calling for the implementation of extensive educational programs in schools, focusing on digital awareness and electronic bullying, and enhancing the culture of tolerance and acceptance of the other.

Legal condemnation

In the same context, the legal advisor, Rashid Al -Hafiti, explained that the Federal Law on Combating Cyber ​​Crime deals strictly with any form of digital abuse, whether by sending text messages that include threats or insults, installing fabricated images of abuse to others, or publishing offensive content aimed at defaming or undermining the reputation of another person.

He stressed that electronic crimes are no longer treated with negligence, especially if it is proven that the perpetrator used the technique for deliberate abuse or to harm the reputation of others, pointing out that the students’ carrying out such actions – even if they believed that it is a kind of joke or the reactionary reaction – may lead to their condemnation under the law, and a criminal precedent against them, which affects their academic and professional future.

Evidence documentation

The legal advisor, Rashid Al -Hafiti, called on the students and their parents not to reduce any electronic bullying or abuse incident through the means of communication, but rather the initiative immediately to document evidence, such as photographing screen or saving records and abusive correspondence, and submitting them to the competent authorities such as the school administration, or legal authorities, to ensure the necessary legal measures are taken and the preservation of rights.

He also stressed the importance of prior awareness, pointing out that some schools have started to cooperate directly with the legal affairs units and the competent security authorities, as soon as it was suspected of serious violations on communication platforms, which contributed to raising the level of deterrence between students, and enhancing the feeling of digital safety within the school environment.

Aisha Al -Zyoudi:

. Implementing the behavioral regulations accredited by the Ministry of Education when monitoring any violation between students.

Badria Al -Dhanhani:

. Students must be trained to manage disputes in a civilized manner, instead of escalating them through verbal or digital abuse.

. 12 boys affiliated with the community care department in Fujairah, accused of information technology crimes.