Cyber Bullying: Media Sosial dan Gaming

Media dan aplikasi digital memungkinkan anak berkomunikasi dan mengekspresikan kreativitas mereka, terhubung dengan teman sebaya, dan berbagi perasaan mereka. Namun, hal tersebut menjadi pintu terjadinya cyberbullying. Ada banyak jenis aplikasi dan situs yang tersedia secara gratis yang memberi pengguna kemampuan untuk mencari orang dan membagikan atau memposting informasi tentang mereka secara anonim.

Orangtua mungkin tidak mengetahui aplikasi yang anak-anak mereka gunakan secara teratur atau mungkin tidak menyadari risiko yang terlibat dalam menggunakannya. Ada banyak cara agar cyberbullying dapat disembunyikan di aplikasi dan situs, seperti teks, video, dan panggilan web yang akan menghilang atau tidak munculkan pada catatan call atau pesan SMS perangkat.

Banyak aplikasi juga mempermudah pengguna untuk mengakses, melihat, atau berpartisipasi dalam konten dewasa atau konten berbahaya. Pengaturan privasi dan lokasi mungkin membuat mereka lebih rentan terhadap stalking, cyberbullying, akses ke konten dewasa, atau bahaya lainnya.

Beberapa media sosial populer saat ini meliputi:

• Askfm: Situs jejaring sosial yang memungkinkan pengguna mengajukan pertanyaan kepada orang lain, seringkali secara anonim.
• Chatroulette: Ada lebih dari 20 situs rolet chat yang berbeda yang memungkinkan pengguna untuk terhubung langsung melalui obrolan webcam dan video. Situs biasanya memasangkan pengguna secara acak dan langsung.
• Discord: Aplikasi Voice-over-IP (VOIP) yang memungkinkan pengguna melakukan obrolan video dengan orang lain, pesan pribadi, dan bergabung, membuat, atau berpartisipasi dalam chat room publik dan pribadi. Aplikasi ini sering digunakan oleh para pemain game untuk ngobrol satu sama lain sambil bermain videogame.
• Facebook dan Facebook Live: Situs media sosial yang paling umum digunakan yang dapat diakses di berbagai platform media.
• Instagram: Berbagi foto dan video dan situs jejaring yang menghubungkan pengguna melalui situs jejaring sosial lainnya (mis. Facebook).
• Kik: Aplikasi messaging yang memungkinkan pengguna dari segala umur untuk menghubungi orang lain secara anonim.
• Line: Aplikasi messaging yang memungkinkan pengguna melakukan panggilan telepon gratis, meninggalkan pesan suara, dan teks. Pengguna dapat menghapus teks atau obrolan dari telepon penerima dengan menggunakan timer.
• Musical.ly: Users can post their own videos and view videos posted by others.
• Reddit: A site that stores social news, rates and evaluates web content, and discussion threads.
• Sarahah: An anonymous messaging app that allows users to send anonymous messages to people they may know.
• Snapchat: A photo messaging app that allows for sharing pictures and short videos that are intended to be erased shortly after delivery.
• Telegram: Messaging app that allows users to share photos, videos, and files; make calls, and delete texts or chats from recipient’s phone using a timer.
• Tumblr: A social networking site that allows posting of short blogs and media.
• Twitter: A microblogging site that allows users to send, read, and reply to “tweets” or short messages.
• Vine: An app that allows the posting of short 6-second looping videos.
• WeChat: An app that allows user to chat with friends, and to search for people nearby and around the globe.
• WhatsApp: A private messaging app that allows users to text, send photos, videos, and location information to their contacts.
• YouTube: A video sharing platform that allows users to post and share videos.

Social media has many benefits that must be balanced with the risks it presents. Risks to be aware of include:

• Screening for harmful content on websites and apps varies widely.
• Content posted can be incorrect, harmful, or hurtful (e.g., why are you so dumb?).
• Can be used to share harmful or adult content.
• Privacy controls over who can view or access posted material vary across apps, and many users are not aware of how to use them effectively.
• Apps that allow for real-time user videos “live streaming” can been used to show bullying, violence, suicide, and harmful acts as they are happening.
• Some apps that include location information can be used to get personal information, such as someone’s age, current location, or where someone lives.
• Apps that support telephone calls do not show up on a call log, so parents may not know who their children are talking to.

Cyberbullying and Online Gaming

Playing videogames is a popular activity, with 72 percent of teens gaming online. Many video games – whether they are console, web, or computer-based – allow users to play with friends they know in person and others they have met only online. While gaming can have positive benefits like making new friends, socializing, and learning how to strategize and problem solve, it is also another place where cyberbullying occurs.

Anonymity of players and the use of avatars allow users to create alter-egos or fictional versions of themselves, which is part of the fun of gaming. But it also allows users to harass, bully, and sometimes gang up on other players, sending or posting negative or hurtful messages and using the game as a tool of harassment. If someone is not performing well, other children may curse or make negative remarks that turn into bullying, or they might exclude the person from playing together.

Because players are anonymous, they cannot necessarily be held accountable for their behavior, and their harassment can cause some players to leave games. Some anonymous users use the game as a means to harass strangers or to get their personal information, like user names and passwords.

There are things adults can do to prevent cyberbullying of children who are gaming:

• Play the game or observe when the gaming happens to understand how it works and what a child is exposed to in the game.
• Check in periodically with your child about who is online, playing the game with them.
• Teach your children about safe online behavior, including not clicking on links from strangers, not sharing personal information, not participating in bullying behavior of other players, and what to do if they observe or experience bullying.
• Establish rules about how much time a child can spend playing video games.