Windjammer
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India has the worst level of cyberbullying in the world, according to a new survey, with almost a third of respondents in the country saying their children had been bullied online.
The poll of more than 18,000 adults in 24 countries said the most common forum for cyberbullying was social networking sites such as Facebook.
The survey, by research firm Ipsos, was directed at adults rather than children the possible victims of cyberbullying, which Ipsos classifies as when a child or group of children under the age of 18 intentionally intimidate, threaten or embarrass another child or group of children via a website, Internet chat room, mobile device or other information technology channel.
The poll of more than 18,000 adults 6,500 of whom were parents in 24 countries said the most common forum for cyberbullying was social networking sites such as Facebook. In India, roughly 1,000 adults took part in the survey, which was carried out last November, Ipsos said.
While 32% of the Indian parents said their children had been bullied online, 45% believed a child in their community was being cyberbullied and 53% were aware of the issue of cyberbullying, Ipsos said.
The frequency of cyberbullying in India was higher than that of western nations including the U.S. (15% of children), U.K. (11% of children) and France (5% of children), Biswarup Banerjee, head of marketing communications for Ipsos in India, said in a statement.
Prior to this survey, there has been little evidence to suggest cyberbullying is a major issue in the country. This is in contrast to the U.S., where the phenomenon has been linked to several teen suicides, he added.
On a global level, 12% of the respondents said their child had experienced cyberbullying, markedly lower than the 32% in India. About three-quarters of respondents believe cyberbullying needs special attention from parents and schools, but the remaining 23% think the issue can be handled through existing anti-bullying measures, Ipsos said.
But what of the kids? The survey was of adults, so its difficult to reach a firm conclusion or calculate the real extent of the problem from this alone. Maybe Indian parents worry more than others?
Mr. Banerjee said, if anything, the problem is worse than the results suggest.
The key to this Ipsos study is that it measures parental awareness of cyberbullying, not actual rates of the behavior. While we cant speculate on what actually happens, it is quite possible that the proportion of children actually being cyberbullied is in fact understated, he said.
India Fares Worst in Cyberbullying Poll - India Real Time - WSJ
The poll of more than 18,000 adults in 24 countries said the most common forum for cyberbullying was social networking sites such as Facebook.
The survey, by research firm Ipsos, was directed at adults rather than children the possible victims of cyberbullying, which Ipsos classifies as when a child or group of children under the age of 18 intentionally intimidate, threaten or embarrass another child or group of children via a website, Internet chat room, mobile device or other information technology channel.
The poll of more than 18,000 adults 6,500 of whom were parents in 24 countries said the most common forum for cyberbullying was social networking sites such as Facebook. In India, roughly 1,000 adults took part in the survey, which was carried out last November, Ipsos said.
While 32% of the Indian parents said their children had been bullied online, 45% believed a child in their community was being cyberbullied and 53% were aware of the issue of cyberbullying, Ipsos said.
The frequency of cyberbullying in India was higher than that of western nations including the U.S. (15% of children), U.K. (11% of children) and France (5% of children), Biswarup Banerjee, head of marketing communications for Ipsos in India, said in a statement.
Prior to this survey, there has been little evidence to suggest cyberbullying is a major issue in the country. This is in contrast to the U.S., where the phenomenon has been linked to several teen suicides, he added.
On a global level, 12% of the respondents said their child had experienced cyberbullying, markedly lower than the 32% in India. About three-quarters of respondents believe cyberbullying needs special attention from parents and schools, but the remaining 23% think the issue can be handled through existing anti-bullying measures, Ipsos said.
But what of the kids? The survey was of adults, so its difficult to reach a firm conclusion or calculate the real extent of the problem from this alone. Maybe Indian parents worry more than others?
Mr. Banerjee said, if anything, the problem is worse than the results suggest.
The key to this Ipsos study is that it measures parental awareness of cyberbullying, not actual rates of the behavior. While we cant speculate on what actually happens, it is quite possible that the proportion of children actually being cyberbullied is in fact understated, he said.
India Fares Worst in Cyberbullying Poll - India Real Time - WSJ
. So technically, 32% of the parents surveyed could have seen a comment with the f word on their children's statuses.
