Cyberbullying on the rise, UNESCO warns

MANILA, Philippines — Cyberbullying is on the rise, the United Nations education agency warned, attributing this to the COVID-19 pandemic as more students are “living, learning and socializing online.”

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), bullying affects one in every three students at least once a month, and one in 10 is a victim of cyberbullying.

This had led to an “unprecedented increase in screen time and the merging of online and offline worlds,” heightening youngsters’ vulnerability to bullying and cyberbullying, UNESCO said.

While bullying is most often carried out by children’s peers, UNESCO said in some cases teachers and other school staff are believed to be responsible. The agency noted that corporal punishment is still permitted in schools in 67 countries.

Physical bullying is the most frequent type of bullying in many regions – with the exception of North America and Europe, where psychological bullying is most common.

Sexual bullying – including hostile sexual jokes, comments or gestures – is the second most common form of harassment at school in many regions.

Although school violence and bullying affect male and female students, physical bullying is more common among boys.

A person’s physical appearance is the most common cause of bullying, students reported, followed by their race, nationality or skin color.

Psychological abuse is more common among girls, UNESCO said, after identifying “isolating, rejecting, ignoring, insults, spreading rumors, making up lies, name-calling, ridicule, humiliation and threats” as typical treatment.

The consequences of bullying can have devastating consequences on academic achievement, school dropout, and physical and mental health, the agency said.

It defined bullying as aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions repeated over time, and an imbalance of power or strength between the perpetrators and the victims.

“Children who are frequently bullied are nearly three times more likely to feel like an outsider at school and more than twice as likely to miss school as those who are not frequently bullied,” UNESCO said. “They have worse educational outcomes than their peers and are also more likely to leave formal education after finishing secondary school.”