NEW MEDIA AND CYBERBULLYING AMONG NIGERIAN YOUTHS (A STUDY OF AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS)

NEW MEDIA AND CYBERBULLYING AMONG NIGERIAN YOUTHS (A STUDY OF AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS)

Background of the Study

Cyberbullying is defined as intentional and repetitive harm caused by the use of computers, mobile phones, and other electronic devices (Hinduja and Patchin, 2010). It's a never-ending cycle of purposely harming people using technology devices. Cyberbullying is defined in this research as the act of being cruel to others by utilizing information and communication technology to promote purposeful and persistent harassment or threat to a person or group, which may be done by an individual or a group. Cyberbullying, unlike conventional or regular bullying, usually takes a psychological shape. It primarily affects the mental health of those who are cyberbullied, and can take the form of sending unpleasant, rude, or threatening texts, emails, or text messages, photos or video clips saying hurtful things or accessing someone’s accounts to create trouble.

According to Lenhart (2007), one-third of all kids who use the internet have been the victims of a variety of unpleasant and sometimes dangerous online behaviors. These people got threatening messages, had private emails or text messages sent without their permission, had their humiliating photos uploaded without their permission, and had misinformation propagated about them online.

Over 13 million children and teenagers between the ages of 6 and 17 were victims of cyberbullying in 2006, according to national law enforcement organizations (Fight Crime: Invest in kids, 2006). According to the National Crime Prevention Council's (2014) report, 43 percent of teens were victims of cyberbullying in 2013, 81 percent of youth said that others cyberbully because they find it amusing, nearly 80 percent of teens admit to not having parental rules about Internet use or found ways around the rules, nearly 30 percent of teens wanted to seek revenge on those who cyberbullied them, and only 11 percent of teens talked to their parents about it.

Cyberbullying is a rising problem among Internet users in Nigeria, yet most people are unaware of it. In 2015, Nigeria's National Assembly introduced a 'Social Media Bill,' which was heavily rejected by the public owing to a lack of understanding and awareness of cyberbullying. Some Nigerians believe it is a technique of targeting people and suppressing the public from the country's famed 'freedom of speech.' Misuse of social media has become a more prevalent issue in Nigeria among social media users, who commonly refer to it as "freedom of speech." The internet is now being utilized to carry out various forms of harassment that were previously occurring within the classroom. On the other hand, there is no oversight to manage the bully on the internet. Nigerian teenagers who have access to the Internet and social networking sites are bullied on a daily basis without even realizing it or understanding how to stop it. In light of this, the goal of this study is to raise awareness about cyberbullying, the role of new media activities and usage in cyberbullying, and the causes of an increase in cyberbullying among students.

BUY THIS TOPIC ON WHATSAPP

Related Project Materials

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to  investigate into the correlation between teaching tec...

Background to the Study
The government of Nigeria, like others in different parts of the world, has legisl...

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The globalization of economic activities has resulted in an increased demand fo...

ABSTRACT

Abel, Marc W. Ph.D. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Wright State University, 2022. A Solder-Defined Computer Arc...

ABSTRACT

The research work studied the national savings and Nigerian economic grow...