3/9/2020 1 in 5 young people skip school because of cyberbullying - Unicef poll

1 in 5 young people skip school because of

cyberbullying - Unicef poll
SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 @ 11:38PM
BY BERNAMA

(File Pix) Cyberbullying victims mostly experience it through social networking

KUALA LUMPUR: Three in 10 young Malaysians are victims of online bullying, which a ects their
education and social life, with the majority experiencing it through private messaging applications.

According to a new poll by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the United Nations
(UN) Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Violence against Children in 30
countries, one in five young people were reported to have skipped school due to cyberbullying and
violence.

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3/9/2020 1 in 5 young people skip school because of cyberbullying - Unicef poll

Speaking out anonymously through the youth engagement tool U-Report, almost three-quarters
of young people in the poll said social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and
Twitter, were the most common place for online bullying.

Unicef executive director Henrietta Fore said bullying did not just happen at school, but also in the
cyberworld.

“Connected classrooms meant school no longer ends once a student leaves class, and
unfortunately, neither does schoolyard bullying,” she said yesterday.

In Malaysia, out of the more than 5,000 respondents who joined the survey, 457 or nine per cent
said they had used digital platforms to harass or bully others.

The data also found 63 per cent of the Malaysian correspondents were not aware that there existed
cyberbullying helpline services.

UN SRSG on Violence against Children Najat Maalla M’jid urged all parties, including government
authorities, to work together to curb this problem.

“One of the key messages that stood out from their opinions is the need for children and young
people’s involvement and partnering.

“When asked who should be responsible for ending cyberbullying, the opinions were equally
divided between governments, Internet service providers (private sector) and young people.”

A total of 170,000 participants, aged 13 to 24 from 30 countries including Bangladesh, Vietnam,

India, Indonesia and France, took part in the survey.
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3/9/2020 1 in 5 young people skip school because of cyberbullying - Unicef poll

For those who are experiencing online bullying, contact CyberSecurity Malaysia, Cyber999 via
email to cyber999@cybersecurity.my or SMS to 15888 using the following format: CYBER999
REPORT or the toll-free line at 1-300-88-2999. -- Bernama

© 2020. NEW STRAITS TIMES PRESS (M) BERHAD (4485-H).

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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