Free Example of Cyberbullying in UAE Essay

Experts have, for a long time, held to the belief that the internet and technology are the perfect playing fields for cybercriminals, at this era of rapid growth and consumption of technology. Crimes, such as data breach and cyberbullying, have increased at an alarming rate with little success either to end or control the problems. Moreover, cyberbullying has become one of the challenges that have exploded as a result of online social networking among internet users. It involves harassment through online platforms and electronic devices, whereby the victim is left humiliated as the perpetrator feels glorified. Cyberbullying has been a significant media issue of concern in society and precisely in the United Arab Emirates with its prevalence growing fast, despite the social and legal efforts to curb the problem among various population groups to minimize the effects on the victims.

Literature Review

Hinduja et al. (2013), in their definition of cyberbullying and the study on the social influences on cyberbullying behavior among middle and high school students, noted that those are electronic devices and online platforms threatening or harassment of fellow students and colleges through online platforms. Cyberbullies are motivated by the need to feel superior, dominate others and a sense of belonging to a social group. According to Notar et al. (2013), any individual has the potential to become a cyberbully without the need to be strong but to only require internet-enabled devices such as phones, tablets or computers. A literature review by Notar et al. (2013) revealed that 90% of adolescent students in the US have participated in cyberbullying either as a bully or victim, while 70% of them have reported to experience it more than once. The study also revealed that the online threats and harassment were prevalent such that 21% were through emails, 40% via online chatrooms and social networking sites and 19% on phone and free texts while 8% through other websites (Notar et al., 2013). Cyberbullying is a global issue that has prevailed among the youths and requires continuous research to identify the magnitude of the effects and intervention measures.

Cyberbullying

While traditional bullying methods have significantly declined in society, modern techniques have increased and are facilitated through online platforms such as social networking sites. Davis et al. (2014) established that the rate of traditional harassment and victimization reduced by 74% between the years 1992 and 2010. However, they stated an increase in the reported case by 83% between the years 2000 and 2010. The rate has been attributed to the ability of a bully to remain anonymous or the fact that the perpetrator has a limited chance of meeting the victim physically. In the US, 58% of youths aged between 14 and 24 years have, at one time, experienced online harassment while 88% of this group involves adolescents of age 12-17 years who use social media (Davis et al., 2014). Besides, gender disparities play a critical role in cyberbullying studies, where research indicates that boys were more likely to be bullies or victims on contrary to girls who reported to be mostly victims (Davis et al., 2014). The cases of cyberbullying in the US and the entire worlds are a reflection of the situation in the United Arab Emirates which is one of the most developed regions of the world with high consumption of internet technology.

Cyberbullying in UAE

Like every other nation in the world, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also experiences the global cyberbullying problem that the government and other stakeholders have struggled to prevent and control. The issue mainly affects the youths in society, more than adults. Brochu (2017) noted that approximately 50% of the teenagers in the UAE have experienced cyberbullying and harassment and had no idea on how to seek help. The high prevalence rate has been attributed to the high technological consumption rate among youths, through Smartphone technology, tablets, and computer ownership and ease of access. Also, statistics indicate that a majority of the teenagers are active users of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, while a significant population of students has email accounts (Brochu, 2017).

Consequently, cyberbullies target their victims through phone messages, email messages, tweets and Facebook messages and texts for harassment purposes. Also, the study identified that sexting and attack of sexuality were among the primary forms of cyberbullying in schools (Brochu, 2017). The cyberbullying problem’s prevalence has resulted in significant adverse effects on the victims.

Effects of Cyberbullying in UAE

The impacts of cyberbullying have been noted to affect individuals’ mental health and social life, as a result of the information passed through the internet and technology devices. Furthermore, a significant relationship between cyberbullying and loneliness, suicide, depression and the development of affective disorder has been identified among victims in the UAE. Cyberbullies target their victims' self-esteem which is attacked through messaging, online comments, posts, and stalking. The threat leads to a feeling of worthlessness and self-hatred depending on the nature of the attack on an individual or group. Particularly, in the study at Emirati College, Brochu (2017) noted that 13.6% of the participants strongly agreed, while 41.3% came to terms that they had either experienced or knew someone who had been hurt by cyberbullying whereby they began doubting their personality or felt unfit to be among colleges.

Furthermore, Brochu (2017) found that cyberbullying among Emirati University Students in UAE led to loneliness and the development of affective disorder which affect their social and educational performance. For instance, female students who reported experiences of cyberbullying in the UAE agreed that it involved posting sensitive personal information online which created a negative image of the victim, isolation, and even depression. The student’s educational performance is significantly affected by following the victims' behavior after the occurrences of bullying. Brochu (2017) also found that the majority of the victims of cyberbullying were not aware of people they could to talk to or knew, but did not express their circumstances to acquire help. As a result, the risk of having suicidal thoughts and attempts increased significantly (Davis et al., 2014). The author noted the importance of developing cyberbullying awareness and strategies to identify victims and educate them on the actions to take after their experiences, to avoid hurt and personal damage.

UAE Interventions

Like other nations in the world, the United Arab Emirates is mandated to implement legal and social measures to curb the issue of cyberbullying and mitigate its effects. For instance, the study by Brochu (2017) reveals the efforts, by the education authorities, to introduce cyberbullying awareness in schools to help students to identify the instances of the vice and ways to acquire help from professionals. The efforts are accompanied by the sensitization of teenagers to embrace morality, when using electronic devices and the internet to avoid hurting others when exercising their freedom. As a result, the policy helps to reduce the effect such as depression and suicide.

The UAE has also embraced control of internet use by defining the role of parents in monitoring the use of electronic devices and online activities. Undoubtedly, parents and guardians play a crucial role in regulating children’s activities to prevent their involvement in illegal activities (Brochu, 2017). Besides, the government is also working on policies involving collaboration with technology and internet service providers and administrators to embrace content filtering and internet age limitation to protect children and adolescents from cyber bullies. The intervention by the government will enable social networking sites, emails and websites to block content that is viewed as harmful to other users.

Recommendations

It is essential that the UAE authorities design laws that facilitate the investigation, arrest and prosecute cyber bullies. The policy can be achieved by developing awareness and reporting strategies for such cases. Besides, the government should collaborate with social networking sites and blogs to identify, expose and block people who engage in activities that aim to harm others online reputation or spread negative messages. In the future, studies should focus on the motivational factors of cyber bullying to understand the primary issues that drive them towards executing cyber attacks. The studies would facilitate the development of prevention measures based on existing evidence.

Conclusion

Cyberbullying has been a media issue of concern in the United Arab Emirates and society at large. In particular, it involves sending or posting negative information to and about individuals through electronic devices and online platforms such as social networking sites and websites. The period between 2000 and 2010 has seen an increase in cyberbullying situations by 83% with 90% of adolescents either experiencing or participating in online harassment. In the UAE, approximately 50% of the youths, have been victims of cyberbullying with a majority of them belonging to the 12-17 years age group. Moreover, studies reveal that female students have been victims of the problem and failed to report or seek help from relevant sources. As a result, people who have experienced cyberbullying are at risk of isolation and loneliness, suffering depression, a decline in education performance, and suicidal thoughts among other adverse effects. Consequently, the UAE has emphasized the need for awareness education, the role of parents in monitoring children, and enforced measures to control and govern online activities.